Research Matters Issue 11

ISSUE 11 Spring 2010

RESEARCH|MATTERS WIT LEADING STRATEGIC RESEARCH CLUSTER IN COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES

Dr Whelan awarded IRCHSS Government of Ireland Research Fellowship

Development of First National Men’s Health Policy

Role of Popular Culture in American Theatre ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

1

CONTENTS

inside this issue WELCOME 2

Welcome From the President of WIT

INNOVATION 4 6

FAME Strategic Research Cluster: Creating a National Telecommunications Innovation Hub Emerging Role of Higher Education in Economic Development

AWARDS 7 7

Dr Whelan Awarded IRCHSS Research Fellowship Dr Kirwan Secures Funding under SFI Research Frontiers Programme

ENGINEERING 8 9

Drug Loaded Magnetic Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy Nanotechnology Research Focuses on Solar Energy

HEALTH SCIENCES 10 11 12

Working to Prevent Employee Burnout: The Rose Project at WIT Honorary Fellowship Awarded at WIT WIT Supports Development of First National Men’s Health Policy

BUSINESS 13 14 14 15

A New Paradigm in Knowledge Exchange Between Entrepreneurs WIT School of Business Addresses Leadership in Times of Economic Crisis Inaugural Gathering of Rural Development Initiative at WIT Developing Thinking Professionals: Researching Teaching Methodologies in the School of Business

ICT 16 18 19

Perimeter: A User-Centric Approach to Surfing the Web on Your Mobile Bloglife: Mícheál Ó Foghlú.

TSSG Plays Integral Part in The Future of the Internet

EDUCATION 20 21

Collaborative Writing For Publication Entrepreneurship Education in Institutes of Technology

HUMANITIES 21 22 24

Saint Michael In Peril of The Sea by Janice Fitzpatrick Simmons WIT Researcher Explores The Role of Popular Culture in American Theatre WIT Examines Life After Prison For Ex-offenders

AWARDS 25 26 26

WIT Research Funding Awards Dr Peter Jordan Wins 2009 Award For Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision Dr Helen Hughes Wins 2009 Award For Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision

CONFERENCES & PUBLICATIONS 27 28 29 30 30 2

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

Postcolonial Studies Association (PSA) Conference Attracts Top Delegates to WIT TSSG hosts Irish IPv6 Summit in Dublin Castle WIT Remembers Southeast’s Role in Great War American Studies Conference At WIT Focuses On New Beginnings Recent WIT Publications

WELCOME

Welcome from the President of WIT

In the year just gone WIT was awarded, Sunday Times Institute of Technology of the Year 2009. A key contributory factor leading to this award was recognition of the growth of research at the Institute and its achievements acclaimed nationally and internationally.

Over the last decade WIT secured competitive research funding valued in excess of €70m. There has been considerable investment in research infrastructure with the development of the research and innovation zone on the West Campus, Carriganore, funded by Enterprise Ireland, industry and HEA PRTLI Cycles 3 and 4. The research community at WIT has expanded considerably comprising of more than 560 postgraduate students and 150 full time researchers and postdoctoral fellows.

Recent programme developments include accreditation to offer a Doctorate in Business Administration in the School of Business which adds to the existing wide range of postgraduate offerings at the Institute.

In this edition of Research Matters we welcome the news that WIT is to spearhead a Science Foundation of Ireland Strategic Research Cluster in the area of communication services. This award valued at more than €5.8million is being led by Dr Willie Donnelly and involves academic partners TCD, UCD, NUIM and UCC aswell as industry leaders Telefonica I&D, Cisco, Ericsson, HP and IBM. Elsewhere in this edition we learn of the considerable input by WIT staff from the School of Health Science in developing a new national Men’s Health Policy.

Research Matters also highlights a report produced by the Centre for Social and Family Research at WIT on life after prison for ex-offenders. Furthermore this edition reports on a diverse selection of conferences involving participation from WIT researchers, ranging from internet technologies and postcolonial studies to American studies and the Great War. Profiles are also presented of key awards secured by members of staff such as Dr Susan Whelan who received a Research Fellowship from the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences. We also recognise the excellence and dedication of Drs Helen Hughes and Peter Jordan who were acknowledged with the WIT Postgraduate Supervisors Award for 2009.

WIT’s commitment to research and the excellence of its staff, students and research partners enables the Institute to continue to thrive and succeed.

Prof Kieran Byrne President of WIT

Ms Philomena Carton

Ms Teresa Hurley

Ms Geraldine Mernagh

(Research Support Unit)

(School of Health Sciences)

(School of Education)

Dr Sinead Conneely

Mr David Kane

Dr Cormac O’Raifeartaigh

(School of Humanities)

(WIT Luke Wadding Library)

(School of Science)

Ms Rita Dalton

Ms Kathryn Kiely

Dr Susan Whelan

(Research Support Unit)

(Industry Services Manager)

(School of Business)

Dr Willie Donnelly

Mr Mohamed Medjaou

(Head of Research)

(School of Engineering)

Edited by Dr Jenny O’Connor (School of Humanities)

Editorial Board

Prof Kieran Byrne President of WIT

Welcome to the latest edition of Research Matters from Waterford Institute of Technology. It is now seven years since the first edition of this publication and over that time period we have seen many significant advances in both the scale and quality of the research programmes ongoing at WIT.

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

3

INNOVATION

FAME STRATEGIC RESEARCH CLUSTER: CREATING A NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS INNOVATION HUB

Dr Willie Donnelly, Head of Research, WIT & PI FAME SRC

The research programme aims to develop leading edge communications management solutions for next generation networks

The awarding of a €5.86m Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Strategic Research Cluster (SRC) grant to WIT’s Telecommunications Software Systems Group (TSSG) and its academic and industrial partners is an important step towards the establishment of a national innovation cluster in the communications services area. The FAME (Federated, Autonomic, Management of End-to-end Communication Services) Cluster is led by the TSSG and brings together leading academic research groups from TCD, UCD, NUIM, and UCC and industrial players including Telefonica I&D, Cisco, Ericsson, HP and IBM. This research programme which aims to develop leading edge communications management solutions for next generation networks, is the first SFI Strategic Research Cluster to be led by an institute of technology.

The research programme provides a research and development eco-system, integrating long-term strategic oriented research, postgraduate student training and innovative technical solutions for industry. This is achieved through direct involvement of industry in the development and implementation of the FAME programme. Scenarios provide a common platform for the exchange of knowledge and requirements between the academic and industrial players thus ensuring that scientific solutions developed within the project can be more easily integrated into the industry partners’ product portfolios. The project plans to extend the model over time to create a national communications services innovation hub, supporting the needs of both multinational corporations (MNCs) and small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs.)

4

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

INNOVATION Ireland’s investment in research over the past ten years has paid major dividends in terms of our international academic reputation. The reputation of Ireland’s leading academic research centres is now such that we can attract the best academic researchers and students from around the world. The recent establishment of the National Innovation Task Force is a recognition that we need to ensure that the knowledge generated through our research activity can deliver innovative new products, processes and services ensuring economic growth. However, it is difficult to bridge the gap from highly focused research directly to industry exploitation. In fact, it would be reasonable to state that a major challenge for Ireland is to translate investment in research to realise direct economic impact.

The TSSG has more than 20 companies (80% SME) in its ILRP IMS-ARCS (www.ims-arcs. com). The role of the TSSG is to support these companies in the development of next generation mobile and telecommunications solutions for the global market.

The new deployment of an integrated telecommunications testbed at WITs ArcLabs now enables mobile and telecommunications companies to rapidly deploy and test their product ideas during development prior to launch. This focus has helped develop a clustering of new mobile services start-up companies in ArcLabs, initially based on TSSG spin-out companies but now including the attraction of similar companies from outside the region to locate in ArcLabs. ArcLabs is developing as a one-stop shop for SMEs providing a

The environment of the SME community is very different from that of the multinationals

The track record of the TSSG since 1996 has established a model for the creation of an innovation environment, funded from diverse Irish and European research funding sources. The innovation model has been achieved through the creative use of its funding portfolio, achieving a balanced mass of basic, applied and pre-product research and by pushing the boundaries of expectations beyond the traditional view of the scope of academic research (published papers and postgraduate training) to incorporate metrics for industry impact.

These impacts include standardisation, transfer of technology and know-how to industry, new product development and industry start-ups.

Establishing strong academic / industry partnerships is fundamental to the creation of a research and innovation environment.

The TSSG is connected to the international business and research community through the European Framework Programmes (FP5, FP6 and FP7). Furthermore international research collaborations are supported by Higher Education Authority (HEA) and SFI research programmes and awards, and through the establishment of strategic partnerships between the TSSG and leading international academic and industrial players. Such links provide access to industry technical roadmaps, prototyping and test environments which help validate the industrial applicability of TSSG’s research solutions. The advantage of working with multinationals is that such companies tend to establish R&D centres with access to funds to support innovation and new product development.

Members of the research team at the launch of the FAME programme in February ‘09 with the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Ms Mary Coughlan, Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation Dr Jimmy Devins along with Prof Frank Gannon, Director General SFI.

suite of business development, training and innovation support services. These services are provided through co-operation between the various internal academic schools such as the Schools of Business, Science, and Engineering. In the ICT domain the TSSG continues to work closely with EI to provide know-how, technology solutions and training support to SMEs through the various EI funding schemes such as Commercialisation Funds, Innovation Partnerships, Innovation Vouchers and the ICT Audit Scheme.

For more information contact: Dr Willie Donnelly Email: wdonnelly@tssg.org Web: www.tssg.org

The environment of the SME community is very different from that of the multinationals.

Investment plans tend to be shorter and focused on a smaller set of established products and near term market take-up.

They need to take and deploy results. An example of how support to the broader ICT community (particularly SMEs) is provided is the Enterprise Ireland (EI) sponsored Industry-Led Research Programme (ILRP).

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

5

INNOVATION

EMERGING ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Dr Michael Whelan, Technology Transfer Manager, WIT

Traditionally, Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) have been recognised as having two roles: the dissemination of knowledge through education, training and public discourse; and the creation of knowledge through research and scholarship. During the past decade, the so-called ‘Third Role’, namely that of pursuing a targeted agenda in the economic and social development of the region in which it is located has been much discussed.

While many individuals in different HEIs over the years have played such roles, a defined and targeted role for the HEI itself is relatively new in the Irish context.

If any single event can be identified as the root cause for this discussion it was the 1980 passage of the Bayh-Dole act in the United States. This act allowed universities to directly control and benefit financially from commercialising the results of research performed using public funds. The premise of Bayh-Dole was that the public was not benefiting from the results of publicly funded research because it was to no-one’s commercial benefit to exploit such results. The evaluation of the impact of Bayh-Dole in the US has been very positive when viewed on the national scale.

In the Irish context, state funding agencies have embraced the potential of the ‘Third Role’ in contributing to the future economic growth in Ireland and actively encourage such activities through numerous initiatives.

As stated by Forfás in 2004, ‘’commercialisation of research and knowledge for Ireland’s economic benefits through effective intellectual property management and technology transfer, needs to be a priority for all higher education and public research institutes". The Strategy for Science Technology & Innovation 2006-2013 clearly embraces this view-point: ‘’Ireland by 2013 will be internationally known for the excellence of research, and will be to the forefront in generating and using new knowledge for economic and social progress’’.

While the focus on the ‘Third Role’ has crystallised over the past several years in the Irish context, trends have been moving in that direction for some time. WIT has been at the vanguard of these trends. With the launch of the ArcLabs Research and Innovation Centre in 2005, a facility in which

6

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

start-up companies and local entrepreneurs work and interact with staff from the TSSG and the Business School was created. Three Applied Research Enhancement (ARE) centres were also developed: 3Cs (Centre for Converged Communications Services), SEAM (South East Applied Materials) and PMBRC (Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre). ARE centres, funded

by Enterprise Ireland have a charter to build applied research expertise and capabilities and make this available to regional and national industry. In addition, the Technology Transfer Office was established within the Research Support Unit during 2008 to support intellectual property management and commercialisation activities across the Institute.

While the engagement of individuals and individual institutions is essential to impacting the region’s future economic opportunities, they are not enough. Enhancing regional economic development inherently involves close cooperation amongst many stakeholders, e.g. HEIs, state agencies such as Enterprise Ireland and the IDA, local and national companies, entrepreneurs, enterprise boards, trade associations, in short the regional economic ecosystem. The Spirit of Enterprise forum, founded by WIT staff and regional stakeholders, is a prime example of the breadth of cooperation needed.

While the ‘Third Role’ extends the boundaries of the Institute, broadening its base of stakeholders possibly challenging previously held assumptions and practices, it has several characteristics in common with the First and Second Roles. It is more a journey than a task; the manner in which it is pursued must be in harmony with the local environment and culture; it will require flexibility and a willingness to be self-critical and can only benefit from vigorous debate. In follow up articles over the next several issues, we shall explore specific issues related to the Institute’s ‘Third Role’ activities in more depth.

For more information contact: Dr Michael Whelan Email: mwhelan@wit.ie

AWARDS

Dr Whelan awarded IRCHSS Research Fellowship Dr Susan Whelan, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the Waterford Crystal Centre for Marketing Studies in the School of Business has been awarded an Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) Government of Ireland Research Fellowship.

The project specifically examines the effectiveness and appropriateness of marketing persuasion tactics, such as packaging and shelf placement, used by retailers for their brands. Based on the Persuasion Knowledge Model from consumer research, and using a series of experimental studies in both the laboratory and field, the project investigates why, how and under what conditions consumers respond to different persuasion tactics used by retailers and, importantly, the potential managerial solutions to such persuasion strategies for national brand manufacturers. The project is conducted in partnership with a leading international figure in the marketing academy; Prof Tom J. Brown of Oklahoma State University, and there is active collaboration with leading Irish retailers, with preliminary findings recently presented to Tesco Ireland. The award, worth €110,979, provides funding for a team of researchers to complete the project, which includes the principal investigator together with a postdoctoral scholar and research assistants.

A graduate of Waterford Institute of Technology, Dr Whelan received a PhD in Brand Management from Manchester Business School in 2004. She teaches brand and reputation management modules within the School of Business and supervises a number of research degree students at the Centre for Marketing Studies. Her research has been published in several well known peer reviewed marketing journals. She is a member of the School of Business Postgraduate Research Policy Committee and an editorial board member for Research Matters.

Externally, Dr Whelan teaches on the Executive MBA Programme at Manchester Business School and for the Marketing Institute of Ireland’s (MII) Executive MSc in Marketing Programme at DIT. She has collaborated with some of Ireland’s biggest brands over many years through her role as Programme Director of the MII Executive Brand Management Programme. She is an active member of the International Corporate Identity/Associations Research Group and last year co-chaired together with her colleague, Dr Anthony Foley, a conference track for the largest professional marketing association in the world the American Marketing Association (AMA) Summer Marketing Educators Conference. Dr Whelan is a former recipient of the John Le Pere Award for Marketing from the Marketing Society of Ireland and University College Dublin.

Dr Kirwan secures funding under SFI Research Frontiers Programme

Dr Laura Kirwan

In an age of accelerating global biodiversity loss, there is a perceived threat that damage to biodiversity could be highly detrimental to human welfare over the long term. Although the consequences are complex and poorly understood Dr Laura Kirwan recently received €214,259 for her research project titled ‘Biodiversity and Species Interaction Theory and Application to Multifunctional Ecosystems’ under the Science Foundation Ireland Research Frontiers Programme.

This four year project will develop analytical methodologies to describe the relationship between the biodiversity of ecosystems and the many environmental, economic and social services that they provide.

The project led by Dr Kirwan has collaborators from Teagasc Environmental Research Centre, UCD, NUIM, and international partners in Oxford, Zurich, and California. It aims to develop statistical methodologies for assessing diversity–multifunctionality relationships. This research is an extension

Dr Susan Whelan

For more information contact: Dr Susan Whelan Email: swhelan@wit.ie

of current approaches that look at effects of biodiversity on single ecosystem functions in isolation. Through the development of innovative methodology, Dr Kirwan and her research team will enable the investigation of the true benefits of diversity when multiple ecosystem functions are jointly considered, test the methods using existing landmark datasets and apply them to new experimental work assessing the multiple benefits of grassland ecosystems.

Dr Kirwan graduated from University College Dublin with a B.A. in Statistics and Economics and a PhD in Statistics. Her PhD research focused on developing biologically motivated statistical technology to disentangle the factors affecting the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function. In 2007 Dr Kirwan was awarded an IRCSET postdoctoral fellowship to continue this work. She was hosted by the Agri-Ecology Research Group in Teagasc, Johnstown Castle. After joining WIT’s Department of Computing, Mathematics and Physics she organised Environ, the annual meeting of the Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland. This brought 400 environmental researchers to Waterford in February of 2009.

For more information contact: Dr Laura Kirwan Email: lkirwan@wit.ie

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

7

ENGINEERING

DRUG LOADED MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES FOR CANCER THERAPY

The calculated magnetic field pattern of a stent simplified to two dimensions, for use in magnetic drug targeting.

Upper inset, a stent. Lower inset, a magnetic drug carrier.

The Materials Characterisation & Processing (MCP) group was established at WIT in 2001.

More recently, the group secured funding from Enterprise Ireland to establish SEAM, the South Eastern Applied Materials research centre.

Launched in 2009 under the Applied Research Enhancement programme, whose mission is to generate regional economic activity through the creation of a strong applied research base, SEAM includes expertise and facilities for X-ray Microtomography, Microwave Processing and Mathematical Modelling. One strand within SEAM concerns Mathematical Modelling of Implant Assisted Magnetic Drug Targeting.

Drug delivery is an important area of research in medicine and we are all aware of drug delivery technologies, from cough bottles to pain-killing tablets and intravenous drips. However, contrary to the popular portrayal in advertisements, painkillers do not actually know where the pain is.

Instead, the pain-killer is typically delivered to all parts of the body, but only noticed at the site of pain. The aim of one of SEAM’s current projects is to decrease the drug dose where it is not needed while still reaching the target. This is particularly important when the harmful effects of the drugs are severe, as is the case in cancer chemotherapy.

Targeted drug delivery aims to achieve this, and magnetic drug targeting uses tiny magnetic nanoparticles as drug carriers which, once injected into the body, are captured at the desired site by an external magnet.

A recent advance is the proposed use of magnetic implants such as stents to improve performance.

8

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

The work undertaken on this technology at the SEAM centre at WIT involves mathematical modelling of the behaviour of the carriers in the bloodstream in the presence of a stent. It deals specifically with the interactions between the carriers that cause them to clump together. This can help the drug delivery, but may cause blocking of the blood vessels and therefore, this needs to be well understood. The results of this work have shown that interactions between the carriers can account for the clumping and the resulting predictions show much improved agreement with experiments.

The project uses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to model the blood flow and through an examination of the physics of magnetic particles, the behaviour of the drug carriers can be predicted.

The team members comprise of Dr PJ Cregg from the School of Engineering, who has expertise in the theory of magnetic nanoparticles, Dr Kieran Murphy from the School of Science, whose expertise lie in mathematical modelling and the PhD student Adil Mardinoglu. The results of this work have appeared in the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials.

For more information contact: Dr PJ Cregg Email: pjcregg@wit.ie

ENGINEERING

NANOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH FOCUSES ON SOLAR ENERGY

Auto 306 Thermal Evaporator

The Nanotechnology Research Group was established within the School of Engineering in 2004 by Dr Joseph O’Mahony. Amongst the group’s varied research interests is the study and exploration of polymer materials for the production of solar energy. Research in this area is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency under the STRIVE programme and is focused on the way that technological improvements can increase the operating lifetimes of polymer solar cells through the rigorous characterisation of their ageing processes.

Polymer solar cells (PSC) fabricated by the group have a thin film structure that comprises of a mixture of electron and hole conducting molecules blended together such that the separation between the molecules of each type is less than a few nanometres.

This is important to maximise the ability of the device to convert incident sunlight photons into separated charges. In this sense the nanoscale morphology of the device is an important contributor to its electronic performance.

Polymer solar based green energy shows excellent potential for Ireland due to its low cost and simple manufacturing processes.

Recent calculations carried out within the group compares the cost payback times for conventional silicon solar technologies with the cheaper polymer technology. The cheaper PSC technology operating at 6% efficiency can offer a module cost payback time of <3 years with a production energy payback time of <3 months. The payback time for silicon is still >15 years with an energy payback time of 6 years. Improvements in lifetimes arising from this research may lead to the future viability of low cost mass produced polymer solar technology for small scale power applications.

Polymer solar based green energy shows excellent potential for Ireland

The Nanotechnology Research Group has recently developed scanned probe microscopy techniques that allow their researchers to both visualise the structure of the solar cell while at the same time recording many of the electronic processes occurring within the cell. In this way the nanomorphological characteristics of the cell can be related to its electronic performance.

The polymer solar cell is a chemically active thin film structure that is sensitive to incident broadband radiation. Similar to the ageing of skin cells by ultra violet (UV) light, UV radiation is responsible for driving chemical reactions within the solar cell that leads to its degradation. To study the effects of UV radiation on cell lifetimes the group is currently working with Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATRFTIR) spectroscopy an extremely sensitive technique that allows researchers to monitor in real time the chemical reactions occurring in the cell when it is exposed to UV light. Through studying the effects of UV light on the structure of the polymer chain and its subsequent effects on the electronic properties of the device, the group hope to both establish greater detail of the mechanisms involved and arrive at an alternative solution that will increase the cell’s lifetime.

Structure of a blend type polymer solar cell

For more information contact: Dr Joseph O’Mahony Email: jomahony@wit.ie

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

9

HEALTH SCIENCES

Pictured at the ROSE project partner meeting are: (Front row L-R) Ms Goedele Avau, EASPD; Prof Trudie Chalder, IoP Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College London; Dr John Wells, Head of Dept. of Nursing, WIT; Ms Jillian Sexton, National Federation of Voluntary Bodies; Ms Mary Ridge, IoP Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College London; Mr David Heffernan, RD Consult.

(Back row L-R) Dr Margaret Denny, Dept. of Nursing, WIT; Mr Ronnie Corbett, RD Consult; Ms Jennifer Cunningham, Dept. of Nursing, WIT; Mr John Sheppard, Dept. of Computing, Mathematics & Physics, WIT; Mr Paul Twynam, Home Farm Trust Ltd; Mr Ross Edwards, Dept. of Computing, Mathematics & Physics, WIT.

Working to Prevent Employee Burnout: The Rose Project at WIT The Department of Nursing in WIT is leading a European Commission funded project to reduce stress and burnout amongst trainers who work with people with mental health problems and intellectual disabilities in the vocational sector across the EU. The ROSE (Reducing Occupational Stress in Employment) research team at WIT will develop a combined person and work directed online de-stressor programme for training and support staff working in the vocational rehabilitation, employment support and social care environments.

The Department of Nursing is collaborating with partner organisations from member states right across the EU, who have specialist expertise in, and provide services to, the vocational training sector.

The project aims to reduce work related stress within health and social care sector

WIT hosted the ROSE project partner meeting on 22nd May 2009 at WIT, in order to discuss the progress of the project to date and to establish how it will proceed. Mr David Heffernan and Mr Ronnie Corbett (of RD Consult), who each deal with quality issues regarding the management of the project, provided an evaluation on the progress of the project to date.

Presentations were made outlining the preliminary findings of the project.

The meeting was chaired by Dr John Wells (WIT) who delivered findings from a baseline information gathering sheet on the sector, which was completed by each of the partners across the EU. This provided a profile and needs analysis of the vocational sector in each of the partner countries. Dr Wells gave an overview of national service provision in the sector, training and qualification requirements, numbers working within the sector, career pathways and current issues that impact upon the delivery of services. Ms Jennifer Cunningham (WIT) followed with a presentation on the organisational and human resource data gathered from managers of centres at a local level. Ms Cunningham provided a description of the relevant organisations and services, outlining issues related to organisational structures and processes, client profiles, sources of funding, physical resources, human resources and staff development. She identified commonalities and points of difference within organisations which will inform the programme design.

Dr Margaret Denny (WIT) presented preliminary findings from the Job Content Questionnaire (Karasek, 1985) which was completed by managers and support workers in each of the partner countries. This identified psychosocial stressors experienced in the workplace and allowed comparatives to be drawn across countries and across positions held within organisations.

Ms Jennifer Cunningham, in another presentation, gave an overview of the preliminary results

10

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

HEALTH SCIENCES from the focus groups which were held in 5 central locations in each of the EU partner countries. She outlined the key stressors which were experienced by both managers and support workers in the sector and outlined local stressors experienced by staff within services. The findings highlighted ways in which organisations deal with stress and identified features that participants felt were necessary to include on the online de-stressor programme, for example, cognitive techniques to deal with stress.

Honorary Fellowship Awarded at WIT

Mr Ross Edwards (WIT) discussed the design of a web-based e-learning tool which will be used for the delivery of the stress management programme.

He reported on technical issues which needed to be considered such as dial-up, broadband download speed and the user’s computer skills, all of which were highlighted during focus groups and through a specific information and communication technology (ICT) questionnaire.

The final presentation of the day was delivered by Ms Mary Ridge and Prof Trudie Chalder (Institute of Psychological Medicine, King’s College London). They provided an outline of the proposed structure of a persondirected intervention programme based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) principles. They discussed stress management tools that are culturally sensitive and proposed learning modules that may be included in the person-directed intervention programme.

It is anticipated that outcomes of the ROSE project will include facilitation of overall staff retention in the vocational sector through reducing individual stress and burnout. This project will also provide data and information to support local services and European Commission initiatives on social inclusion, workplace support, policy harmonisation and mental health.

The research team includes Dr John Wells, team leader (Head of the Department of Nursing in WIT); Dr Margaret Denny and Ms Jennifer Cunningham (Department of Nursing, WIT); Mr John Sheppard and Mr Ross Edwards (Department of Computing, Mathematics & Physics, WIT); Prof Trudie Chalder and Ms Mary Ridge (Department of Psychological Medicine, King’s College London).

European partner organisations include the European Association of Service Providers for People with Disabilities, Brussels; National Federation of Voluntary Bodies, Ireland; RD Consult, Ireland; The Home Farm Trust Ltd., UK; Pro Mente Steiermark GmbH, Austria; Associazione Scuola Viva, Italy; and Fundatia Alpha Transilvana, Romania.

The next stage of the project will include testing the pilot individualised and environmental stress management programme. The full programme will be launched at the end of April 2010. Further information on the ROSE project can be found at www.roseproject.eu

For more information contact: Ms Jennifer Cunningham Email: jcunningham@wit.ie or Dr John Wells Email: jwells@wit.ie

At the conferring ceremony Prof Kieran R Byrne, President of Waterford Institute of Technology, and Ms Beatrice Barry-Murphy, who has become the 11th honorary fellow at WIT.

An Honorary Fellowship has been awarded to HSE Health Promotion specialist Ms Beatrice Barry-Murphy from Wexford

by Waterford Institute of Technology. In his citation, Prof Kieran Byrne stated that this award was in recognition of Beatrice’s dedication throughout her working life to the holistic education of young people and her commitment to supporting teachers to achieve this aim.

As a former secondary school teacher at New Ross CBS, Beatrice initiated the development of Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) at that school before going on to develop the programme in other Irish schools by upskilling their teachers. In 1993, Beatrice was instrumental in upgrading the former South Eastern Health Board SPHE programme to an accredited Extra Mural Certificate in partnership with WIT. In 2006, the course was successfully evaluated and is now offered at both an advanced level as a Master of Arts (MA), and at Higher Diploma (HDip) level at the Institute. These postgraduate programmes are the first of their kind nationally and are leading the way in the provision of high quality, evidence based learning in the area of SPHE. In addition to these postgraduate programmes, SPHE is also an integral part of both the undergraduate Health Promotion and Exercise and Health degree programmes in the Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Science. As co-course leader of the postgraduate programmes, and supervisor to the undergraduate SPHE team at WIT, Beatrice continues to champion the SPHE cause by ensuring that all service providers, not just teachers, have the necessary skills to support the holistic development of young people. With plans afoot to further enhance the delivery of these programmes, the dedication of Ms Beatrice Barry-Murphy, the Institute’s 11th honorary fellow, to her life’s work, is as evident today as it was 30 years ago when her journey began.

For more information contact: Dr Paula Carroll Email: pcarroll@wit.ie

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

11

HEALTH SCIENCES 1. A qualitative study using focus groups (8) to explore the health issues of a diversity of men; 2. A quantitative study of 572 men aged 18 to 70+ that explored their knowledge of and attitudes to health, health services and health behaviours; 3. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of men who contributed to study 2.

A nationwide consultation process was then conducted from February to November 2005. Four phases of consultation were conducted. Firstly, six ‘’Men’s Health Days’’ were hosted around the country and almost 400 people contributed to the workshops that informed the policy. Focus groups (7) were then conducted with specific groups of men who were not adequately represented in phase I. Invitations and a public call for submission were made (94) and these submissions were brought forward to inform the policy. Throughout each phase of consultation, men’s health issues were explored and actions were identified to address the issues raised.

Dr Paula Carroll (author), Waterford Institute of Technology, Ms Mary Wallace, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children and Dr Noel Richardson (author) Institute of Technology, Carlow.

WIT Supports Development of First National Men’s Health Policy In January 2009, Ireland became the first country in the world to publish a national policy on men’s health. Its publication followed a commitment set out in the National Health Strategy to develop ‘a policy for men’s health and health promotion’ (Action 15).

This is a landmark step for men’s health but it is hoped that the policy will serve as a model for good practice in the area and that it will provide leverage for the development of men’s health policy initiatives in other countries.

In May 2004, Dr Paula Carroll was seconded from her post in the Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Science at WIT and was one of two researchers charged with developing and drafting the policy. Her continued involvement in men’s health at a national level has strengthened the research base at WIT while also providing further opportunities for WIT to address the health needs of men in Ireland through health promotion and education.

Why men’s health?

The burden of ill-health experienced by men in Ireland is considerable. Male life expectancy is almost 5 years lower than female life expectancy and men in Ireland have higher death rates for most of the leading causes of death across the lifespan. Substantial differences exist between different categories of men, particularly in relation to age and socio-economic status. Young men (15-24 years) are a particularly high-risk group, with suicide being the principle cause of death among this group. Men in Socio-Economic Groups 5 and 6 (SEG 5 & 6) are up to 6 times more likely to die from the leading causes of death than men from SEG 1.

Approach to Policy Development A multi-level approach, centred on research and an extensive consultation process, was adopted for the development of the policy. Initially, a three-year men’s health research project was conducted in the former South Eastern Health Board (SEHB) region to inform the policy. Three distinct studies were conducted:

12

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

The national and international literature on men’s health was then reviewed to establish the efficacy of translating the issues raised through the various stages of development (research, conference, consultation, steering committee) into policy recommendations and actions. While the issues raised did guide the review of the literature, it was not solely limited to those issues.

The fourth and final phase of consultation consisted of bilateral meetings with government departments to agree the recommendations and actions relevant to each department.

The Policy Itself Traditionally, ‘men’s health’ has been narrowly defined by focusing on male specific diseases. Such definitions have failed to recognise that ‘men’ are a diverse population (e.g. gay men, poor men, older men) with multiple roles and identities (e.g. fathers, carers) that need to be considered in terms of health. It was within this social determinants approach and with due regard to the gendered nature of men’s health, that a male health issue has been defined in the policy as:

‘‘any issue that can be seen to impact on men’s quality of life and for which there is a need for gender-competent responses to enable men to achieve optimal health and well-being at both an individual and a population level."

Therefore, the policy seeks to work with men in Ireland to achieve optimum health and well being by promoting changes to men’s attitudes and behaviours, creating supportive environments (education, home, work, social spaces), promoting gender-competent health services and strengthening community action to support men’s health. The policy calls for strategies that target interventions at both an individual and population level and offers a clear blueprint for promoting health and well being among men in Ireland in the years ahead.

Ireland’s national men’s health policy is available online at http://www.dohc.ie/publications/national_mens_ health_policy.html For more information contact: Dr Paula Carroll Email: pcarroll@wit.ie

BUSINESS

A NEW PARADIGM IN KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURS Dr Bill O’Gorman, Head of Research in the Centre for Enterprise Development and Regional Economy, WIT

The Centre for Enterprise Development and Regional Economy (CEDRE) in the WIT School of Business has recently undertaken a new project in partnership with the School of Management and Business in Aberystwyth University, Wales. The €1.8m project, entitled Sustainable Learning Networks in Ireland and Wales (SLNIW), is funded under the INTERREG 4A Ireland Wales Programme and is led by Dr Bill O’ Gorman, Head of Research at CEDRE. The aim of the project is to increase the economic competitiveness of South East Ireland and West Wales by building selfdirected, self-sustaining business learning networks. The difference between the SLNIW project and other learning networks is that after an initial incubation period, participants in the SLNIW project will lead, manage and facilitate their own knowledge sharing sessions. This new exchange forgoes the traditional approach to learning networks where academics (or consultants or enterprise support agents) guide the learning process or take on a facilitative role. Research shows that entrepreneurs learn best from one another and the SLNIW project puts this research into practice. The recruitment process began in September 2009 and it is anticipated that up to 90 owner/managers (45 in South East Ireland and 45 in West Wales) will benefit from this peer-to-peer learning environment.

Entrepreneurs from a variety of backgrounds, industries, and stages of business growth will participate in the network.

knowledge exchange process within these groups and investigate whether gender composition contributes to the degree to which network formation and development is successful. Once the networks are established, phase two of the project will begin. Differences in how the three types of networks operate will be captured in both Ireland and Wales over an eighteenmonth period of observation. This data will be used to formulate best practice in network formation and development and will be of particular interest to worldwide practitioners, researchers and public policy makers in the area of network formation and development.

The final phase of the project involves documenting the process whereby the networks remain sustainable once the institutions migrate. The sustainability of the networks will continue to create new knowledge by allowing entrepreneurs to continually tap into each other’s everchanging businesses experiences. This knowledge will enable participating entrepreneurs to become more competitive and innovative, thereby increasing their profitability and their ability to create new jobs. This in turn will enhance the regional economies of South East Ireland and West Wales.

The aim of the project is to increase the economic competitiveness of South East Ireland and West Wales

For more information contact: Mr Brian Prenderville Email: bprenderville@wit.ie

There will be six networks, three in Ireland and three in Wales. The networks will be divided into three categories: all male, all female, and mixed gender. The reason for this is to gain greater understanding of the ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

13

BUSINESS

WIT School of Business Addresses Leadership in Times of Economic Crisis WIT’s School of Business hosted a lecture on 29th April 2009 by Professor Peter McKiernan of the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, that aimed to address how companies might adapt their leadership styles to suit the current economic climate.

This lecture was given before the launch of a new compilation of essays and articles on the changing role of management in uncertain economic times. (l-r) Dr Thomas O’Toole, Head of School of Business, Prof Peter McKiernan, University of St Andrews, Mr Sam McCauley, Former CEO-in residence, School of Business, Dr Denis Harrington, Head of Graduate Business, Mr Greg Devlin, President of the MBA Association Ireland and Mr Denis McCarthy, Director, CIMA Ireland

Professor McKiernan’s lecture was entitled ‘Strategic Leadership in Times of Crisis’ and examined the way that leadership roles must adapt in times of recession. Professor McKiernan is Professor of Management and Dean of the School of Management at Scotland’s oldest University. He is a prizewinning and active researcher engaged in cutting edge analysis of changing political, economic and social trends, as well as their impact on strategic formulation and implementation for

businesses. He is currently President of the European Academy of Management.

Professor McKiernan’s insights were closely linked to the themes running throughout ‘Irish Management 2.0: New Management Priorities in a Changing Economy’, a key text for business managers and students hoping to find their way into the business sector. Speaking at the launch of the book in NUIG, was Mr Pádraig Ó Céidigh, founder and chairman CEO of Aer Arann, and Executive in Residence for the Executive MBA programme at the J.E. Cairnes School of Business at NUIG. Mr Ó Céidigh said: ‘’The world is moving and here in Ireland we have to move faster to be competitive. In order to achieve this we need to continually re-invent ourselves like those highlighted in the case studies in this book, successful brands such as CRH plc., Bulmers, O2 and even U2. I have never read a book like this, and its timely publication makes it a must-read for the business sector including entrepreneurs, education institutions and their students, to face difficult challenges in the current economic climate’’.

The book was co-edited by Dr Denis Harrington, Head of the Department of Graduate Business at WIT and Dr James Cunningham, Director of the Centre for Innovation and Structural change at NUIG. For more information contact: Dr Denis Harrington Email: dharrington@wit.ie

Inaugural Gathering of Rural Development Initiative at WIT Sustainable rural development in the South East is imperative for future economic success in the region. The Research in Innovation Knowledge & Organisational Networks group (RIKON) in the WIT School of Business is addressing this issue through a new rural development initiative, developed as part of a larger research study.

This research will focus specifically on the South East region’s network of support structures for rural tourism development, in recognition of the criticality of this macro-level network. Ireland’s rural development, particularly within the tourism context, is a key area of interest within the group. The core aim of RIKON’s research activities is to enable the Institute’s research strategy of achieving a ‘’critical mass of internationally recognised quality research activity’’ (WIT Strategic Plan 2007-2010) specifically in the areas of innovation, knowledge (learning and transfer), and organisational networks. Thus, this inaugural event is the first step towards developing an integrated model of sustainable rural development, which is a critical factor in enabling a community’s economic and social growth.

The first gathering of the rural tourism development initiative took place in March 2009 at WIT. The attendees represented many of the key regional stakeholders, including government, industrial and economic support agencies, across the South East region. The purpose of the event was to engage with

14

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

Attendees & organisers at the first Rural Tourism Development Initiative gathering held on 27th March 2009 at Waterford Institute of Technology.

these support stakeholders and to facilitate an initial round table discussion on rural development in the region.

It is hoped that through this work a new Tourism Business Development Forum will be established within the School of Business at WIT. The forum will significantly contribute to the future development of tourism in the region and will inform the national tourism development agenda. This group will be chaired by the Head of School of Business, Dr Thomas O’Toole and will be co-chaired by the Head of Graduate Business, Dr Denis Harrington.

For more information contact: Ms Elaine Aylward Email: eaylward@wit.ie

BUSINESS

Developing Thinking Professionals: – Researching Teaching Methodologies in the School of Business The Business Education & Teaching Research (BETR) group is the result of organic engagement with a large number of researchers/ lecturers in the WIT School of Business and builds upon the myriad of experience and capabilities therein.

This group is focused on the development and enhancement of teaching methodologies within the School as well as on the establishment of a framework to assist with that development.

This framework is multi-faceted and has a particular emphasis on educational strategies pertaining to business students. It includes engagement with practice, external academia and students, with the intent of developing a national network of teaching and learning excellence.

One of the main activities of this inchoate group thus far was the hosting of workshops which examined group assessment. These three hour workshops focused on identifying matters relating to the formation of groups, group management, assessment methods and the role of the lecturer. Facilitated by Ms Margaret Skelly, Mr Mick Rock and Mr Darrin Taylor, the findings have been captured and disseminated within the school. A comprehensive list of these findings are available at http://www.wit.ie/Research/ ResearchGroupsCentres/Groups/BETR/. It is intended that future work will look at specific issues pertaining to these findings and that a support mechanism for lecturers will be put in place by the group to address issues as they arise.

The Irish Academy of Management conference held in September 2009 provided an opportunity for other academics to hear about some of the innovative teaching practices ongoing within the WIT School of Business. For the first time, this conference had a stream dedicated to management and business education. A presentation was given on simulation techniques employed by two lecturers, Dr Pio Fenton and Ms Collette Kirwan, in the teaching of auditing and project management. Simulation is the process of replicating real world problems and environments in the classroom over a sustained period and allowing students to engage in the challenge as they would in industry.

• Packaging of the outputs of these methodologies to facilitate the dissemination of the synthesised teaching and practice to the workplace; • A repository of case studies, teaching material and practice simulations which it is hoped will eventually generate a revenue stream for the group; • The dissemination of all our activities in an academic context.

Together these core elements facilitate a two-way engagement with practice and external academia, support the teaching practices of lecturers, generate significant high quality research output and place WIT School of Business at the forefront of teaching and learning innovation for business education in a national context. Furthermore, these endeavours are aligned to the School of Business Research and Knowledge Transfer Strategy (2007-2010) and the wide-ranging existing activities of lecturers within the WIT School of Business in this area.

For more information contact: Dr Pio Fenton Email: pfenton@wit.ie

Further work being undertaken by the group include the following initiatives: • The development/enhancement of a range of teaching methodologies including business simulation, case teaching, management criticality and others; • The engagement with industry/practice to ensure that the methodologies reflect real world experiences; • A seminar/educational workshop series designed to support and enhance the teaching methodologies with a specific and pervasive business education slant; • Liaison with external academia to provide training and encouragement in the use of these methodologies to support our reputation as leaders in teaching innovation; ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

15

ICT

PERIMETER:

A USER-CENTRIC APPROACH TO SURFING THE WEB ON YOUR MOBILE

With mobile phones outnumbering the amount of PCs worldwide at a ratio of 3:1, it is no wonder that more and more of us are using our mobile devices to surf the web. According to the Global Internet Information Provider comScore, a total of 22.36 million people accessed the Internet on their mobile on a daily basis in January 2009, an increase of 107% compared to the same time period in 2008.

The realisation of PERIMETER’s user-centric paradigm is set to revolutionise mobile communications

It is apparent that use of the mobile Internet has evolved from being an occasional activity to being a regular part of our everyday lives. This phenomenon can be attributed to a number of factors, e.g. the advent of the ‘smart’ phone, such as the iPhone and Blackberry Storm, to the market; the availability of less expensive data plans by mobile operators such as Vodafone, O2, etc.; and advances in technology. You can now access your email (e.g. Gmail), purchase products (e.g. PayPal), and update your social networking sites (e.g. Twitter) - all from your mobile device.

However, despite all the advances, and the popularity of using the mobile Internet, there are still a number of drawbacks: • Cost: While a number of mobile operators have competitive data plans, you are never quite sure how much it will cost you to browse.

• Security: It is not always possible to trust the security of your mobile connection.

• Manual Selection: If you wish to leave your mobile operator’s Internet connection and instead choose from one of the available free WiFi access points, this has to be done consciously and manually, which can be quite cumbersome.

• Operator-Centric: The operator is central (Figure 1). You are tied to a contract with a specific mobile operator, and cannot access other mobile operators without accruing expensive roaming charges.

Ideally, the user should be central to all decisions made and be able to express their own preferences regarding cost, privacy, security and network choice in order to make the best use of their mobile device.

16

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

ICT The PERIMETER Approach This is the vision and proposed work of PERIMETER, an EU FP7 project entitled ‘User-Centric paradigm for Seamless Mobility in Future Internet’ in which TSSG WIT is one of ten European partners.

PERIMETER adopts a user-centric approach (Figure 2) to using the mobile Internet by taking into account the preferences set by the user themselves. The user is not tied to a particular mobile operator or network, but has a single PERIMETER account from which they have access to all available operator and community networks, thus allowing truly seamless mobility in the Internet of the Future.

One of the central objectives of the PERIMETER system is to provide the user with the Internet connection that is the best for them. This is achieved by the application of a relatively unique concept known as Quality of Experience, which takes the user’s perspective of how well a service works into account, rather than relying on purely technical aspects. This guarantees that the user gets an Internet connection that they always consider to be ‘good enough’. Because PERIMETER is considered to be ‘aware’, it is also possible to let the user know if the appropriate Internet connection cannot be provided. On the other hand, if there are a number of suitable connections available, PERIMETER is able to take the current user’s status (high priority user, normal user, etc.) and their defined preferences (cost, security, etc.) into account, in conjunction with previous users’ experience, when choosing the best alternative connection.

Target Users and Benefits While PERIMETER can be used by anyone who uses the mobile Internet, it will be initially targeted at users who are frequent travelers, and who usually have to face expensive roaming charges whilst travelling abroad. However, it will also have very practical and important usages in other areas, such as emergency and health situations where the access to, and transfer of, information is of crucial importance. For example, a transfer of a critical patient’s medical status might be made via video conference call or portable x-ray from an ambulance crew at the scene of an accident to an expert medical team that will determine the course of treatment required, while the ambulance is on route to the hospital. Here, the ambulance crew will have a high priority, ‘emergency user’ PERIMETER account, which will guarantee them the highest possible bandwidth connection and security in the transfer of this sensitive information.

Figure 1: Today’s view: Operator Centric Operator A

(user account)

Multiple Contracts Multiple accounts/identities

Operator B

(user account)

Operator

Operator

(or visited network)

(or visited network) USER

Many Networks

but... manual choice

TODAY’S VIEW: OPERATOR CENTRIC

Figure 2: Perimeter view: User Centric User Preferences

Single User Account

(cost, security, network, etc.)

Single Sign-In Operator A network Community Networks Operator B network

USER

Access to all PERIMETER VIEW: USER CENTRIC

The realisation of PERIMETER’s user-centric paradigm is set to revolutionise mobile communications, where thus far, the network and mobile operators have been central. It will impact upon seamless mobility, issues of security and privacy, standards and further research in the Internet of the Future.

For more information contact: Ms Eileen Dillon Email: edillon@tssg.org Web: www.ict-perimeter.eu

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

17

ICT

BLOGLIFE: MÍCHEÁL Ó FOGHLÚ

Blog: Blogger: URL: First post:

Mícheál Ó Foghlú’s Weblog Mícheál Ó Foghlú http://www.ofoghlu.net/log 27th Feb 2002

Who is the blog written by?

Mícheál Ó Foghlú is a lecturer in computing in WIT. Mícheál also heads up the academic side of the Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) as Executive Director Research, and has a leading role in the next generation Internet Protocol as Chair of the Irish IPv6 Task Force and Director of the Irish National IPv6 Centre.

What topics does the blog cover?

The main areas of interest covered in the blog are technologies-linked telecommunications networks and the Internet. However, the blog also provides some other, eclectic posts, such as advice for Irish non-nationals on recommended reading to understand Irish culture (http:// www.ofoghlu.net/log/2007/03/st_patricks_day_musings_ what_i.html). Mícheál regularly attends international meetings and conferences that relate to next generation networks, and he often blogs on his experiences at these meetings.

Who is it aimed at?

Originally, the blog aimed to communicate with other researchers in the TSSG. However, over time, the audience has broadened so that posts are now written with the educated layperson in mind (although it does not shy away from technical topics).

Why should I read it?

The blog gives a good insight into what is happening in the TSSG, and provides links to key events involving TSSG researchers. It is of particular interest to those involved in next generation networks and services and Internet governance.

How often is it updated?

The blog is usually updated on a monthly basis, although sometimes more frequently.

18

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

Can you give me a sample? ‘’There is a key change happening in the world of end user devices for the Internet. Here I am not talking about the move to smart phones, and the possibility that much Internet access in the future will be from such mobile devices rather than from desktop and laptop PCs - though that is indeed an important trend. No, I am talking about the rise of a new type of device that bridges the gap between a mobile phone and a laptop - a mini-laptop, or sub-laptop, called a netbook.

This movement may have been started by Nicholas Negroponte’s OLPC (One Laptop Per Child), but its effects are now seen in the launch in 2007 of the Eee PC, a netbook with limited hardware, but a fully functional laptop with a keyboard, screen and trackpad/buttons nevertheless.

The second iteration of netbooks, with many other providers jumping on this bandwagon, were launched in the summer of 2008. I purchased one of these, an Advent 4211, effectively a re-badged MSI Wind, for €365 (including 2 years warranty) from pixmania.ie, including VAT and delivery. This came with Windows XP Home, a 1024x600 screen (but VGA out to drive larger screens if needed), an Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB RAM, and 80GB hard disk. Note that other MSI Wind models have solid state storage rather than hard disks, but I went for the Advent that only came with a traditional hard disk. Note that many netbooks use Linux Operating System rather than Windows, Advent only comes with Windows, but I’ve since installed kubuntu as a dual-boot alternative. ...more details on configuring Linux on a netbook follow...’’

Blog Post URL: http://www.ofoghlu.net/log/2008/10/advent_4211_ netbook.html

For more information contact: Mr Mícheál Ó Foghlú Email: mofoghlu@tssg.org

ICT

Mr Patrick Hayden of the TSSG made a presentation to the group on Persist’s contribution to the future Internet.

TSSG PLAYS INTEGRAL PART IN THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET

Along with Patrick at the assembly from TSSG were Dr Stephen Davy and Dr Kevin Quinn. Many conference attendees and commission representatives complimented the TSSG’s strategic role in the future Internet. On the TSSG stand Dr Quinn had a demonstration from the EFIPSANS project. The stand also included information on the many projects that the TSSG is involved in or coordinates in this field and also information on the Irish Future Internet Forum.

The EFIPSANS demonstration showed the TSSG’s implementation of the SHIM6 protocol. SHIM6 is part of the IPv6 protocol suite that was approved as a standard by the IETF in March of this year. SHIM6 allows end-to-end multihoming on IPv6 networks so that when one end-to-end connection becomes broken the user traffic switches seamlessly to another available path. Currently, without this functionality, if a user is using an end-to-end connection for calls or for services, the call or service is dropped and the user will need to restart or reconfigure the call or service in some way. For example, if a user is downloading a piece of software from the internet and the connection goes down, they will have to at worst start the download again from scratch or at best restart the download from where it stopped. SHIM6 will seamlessly reconfigure the connection and the user would be none the wiser.

The Internet has undergone far-reaching and profound changes since its early incarnations. With an estimated 1.1 billion users worldwide, the Internet is poised to become a fully pervasive infrastructure, providing connectivity anywhere, at any time.

Thanks in particular to the further deployment of wireless technologies, the number of users of the Internet is expected to jump to some 4 billion in a matter of a few years. At the same time, the type of data being carried over the Internet is changing. Music, pictures, live streaming data, video on demand, games and other high volume data are being carried to more and more users and future technologies plan to exploit it even more. The Internet of the future needs to be able to deal with this increased demand without any degradation of quality.

The number of users of the Internet is expected to jump to some 4 billion in a matter of a few years

The European Union is working strategically towards this goal through the Future Internet Assembly, which co-ordinates open interactions and enables cross-fertilisation across technical domains. It promotes a joint strategic research agenda thus avoiding a fragmentation of efforts across Europe.

The TSSG has one of the few SHIM6 implementations worldwide. In addition, the TSSG has extended the SHIM6 code by placing a policy engine above it to allow the user to define a preferred path. The SHIM6 code used in the demo was created by the Université Catholique de Louvain.

The projects featured on the TSSG stand at this event were Persist (www.ict-persist.eu), PanlabII (www. panlab.net), Vital++ (www.ict-vitalpp.upatras.gr), IncoTrust (www.inco-trust.eu), ThinkTrust (www.thinktrust.eu), Perimeter(www.ict-perimeter.eu), EFIPSANS (www.efipsans.org), AutoI (autoi.tssg.org) and 4Ward (www.4ward-project.eu).

For more information contact: Mr Kevin Doolin Email: kdoolin@tssg.org Web: www.futureinternet.ie or Ms Fiona Mahon Email: fmahon@tssg.org

The ‘Future of the Internet’ Conference held in Prague in May 2009 included the 3rd Future Internet Assembly Workshop. The TSSG was prominent at this assembly with TSSG members making valuable contributions to the working groups and the closing plenary, and a TSSG stand in the main hall.

At the closing plenary, Dr Willie Donnelly, Head of Research & Innovation at WIT and Director of TSSG made a presentation on the Irish Future Internet Forum, Ireland’s contribution to the global future internet initiative. The Irish Future Internet Forum was the brainchild of Dr Donnelly himself and was launched in 2008 in Dublin.

The workshop also included sessions of a number of the working groups active in the Future Internet Assembly. The TSSG, through one of its projects, Persist (www. ict-persist.eu) is active in the Future Internet Services Offering working group. As part of this working group, the TSSG is helping to shape the future of the Internet.

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

19

EDUCATION

Collaborative Writing for Publication Workshop on Collaborative Writing in Aegina, Greece

Collaboration benefitted most participants by: • increasing the generation of ideas; • providing a motivation to write and for writing; • developing an awareness of different individual strengths and weaknesses.

The participants stressed the importance of compatibility between collaborators in terms of temperament, working methods and personal strengths. All 17 contributors said they would write collaboratively in the future.

The research findings lead to the recommendations that authors should: There is a tension between the activities associated with research and teaching, and the peer recognition gained through academic writing and publication.

Writing and the development of ideas are frequently pushed to one side. Moreover, there are generally few opportunities for sabbaticals and extended writing. Collaborative writing is more common in the sciences and in engineering where teams of researchers work on joint projects, than it is in the social sciences and the humanities, where researchers frequently work on their own.

seventeen authors completed a questionnaire which asked about their past, present and intended experiences of collaborative writing, and the advantages and disadvantages of such collaboration.

Findings from the purposive sample showed that over half the symposium participants had collaborated in writing books, academic papers,

Collaboration promotes critical thinking as co-authors engage in a dialogue

A broad definition of collaborative writing includes such processes as the brain-storming of ideas, shared cognition, the identification of a theme, the allocation and division of the writing workload, individual writing, mutual peer review, a return to the ideas generated, and a focusing of the theme.

Two researchers from WIT’s School of Education Dr Anne Jordan and Dr Orison Carlile recently undertook a small-scale research project on collaborative writing at an academic writing symposium held by the Learning in Higher Education network in the Greek island of Aegina.

The aim of this symposium was to finalise the chapters of an international anthology on improving student learning outcomes, “which was published in September 2009 by the Copenhagen Business School Press. Seventeen contributors to this anthology, whose chapters had been chosen through a preliminary peerreview process, were invited to the symposium, and brought amended drafts of their chapters.

At the end of four days of intensive writing and further peer-review activity on chapters, the

20

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

policy documents or funding bids. A smaller number had engaged in peer-review and editing.

Participants were equally divided as to whether it was a ‘very good’ or ‘not so good’ experience though the majority had found it at least satisfactory.

Those who found the collaborative experience ‘very good’ claimed that: • collegiality speeded up the writing process; • it was stimulating to bounce ideas off one another; • the process allowed for early review and effective self-editing.

Those who found the experience ’not so good’ cited as reasons:

• choose their collaborators carefully; • work at a similar pace and be equally committed; • hold similar philosophies in relation to writing; • plan and agree on the division of labour and the use of individual strengths; • begin with a small writing project, before embarking on something more ambitious.

A recent development is for academic institutions to create a safe space or ‘retreat’ for writing, which can combat the sense of isolation felt by individual authors. This was one aim of the Aegina experience. Such writers’ retreats attempt to create a designated space for writing at the crucial stages of a project and support participants by providing a context in which they can discuss and share their writing strategies and processes with others.

Collaboration promotes critical thinking as co-authors engage in a dialogue that allows arguments to be developed, assumptions to be challenged and ideas to be critiqued. It allows the workload to be shared and completed more efficiently, and a process of mutual peer-review and editing to take place. When approached professionally, with mutual respect and understanding, this research has found that collaborative writing is perhaps the most rewarding and fruitful means of writing for publication.

• contributions were unequal, with one person shouldering the writing burden; • there was insufficient time for shared understanding and negotiation; • personality differences sometimes interfered with productivity.

For more information contact: Dr Orison Carlile Email: ocarlile@wit.ie or Dr Anne Jordan Email: ajordan@wit.ie

Enterprise is the engine driving economic development and new business start-up activity is one of the most important economic and social activities effecting national and regional economic growth. A vibrant Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is essential for promoting sustained economic and social development with SMEs forming the backbone of Ireland’s economy.

The government is placing particular emphasis on Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to support economic and enterprise development. Given that Institutes of Technology (IoTs) are an integral part of regional economies, they are expected to demonstrate how they create value within regional economies in addition to their established role of teaching and research. IoTs support enterprise development through campus incubator activity and the supply of entrepreneurial talent to create and grow new businesses, generate employment and create wealth for the Smart Economy. Forfás believes that the flow of entrepreneurial talent will emerge from both IoTs and Universities and recommends that all HEIs should create opportunities for students to experience entrepreneurship.

Whilst entrepreneurship education is becoming a panacea for generating employment and economic prosperity, there is a dearth of research exploring the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education and training initiatives in IoTs. Building on the work of Paul Hannon in the UK’s National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship, this research explores the relevance and effectiveness of entrepreneurship education and training initiatives in IoTs. In essence, it will ask whether initiatives achieve entrepreneurial outcomes and develop future graduate entrepreneurs. Moreover, it will examine links between lecturers, students and SMEs and assess opportunities for students to engage with SMEs and real-world entrepreneurs.

Through this research, a picture of entrepreneurship education in Irish IoTs will emerge. The research findings will inform curricula developers and educators how to embed enterprise within IoT courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level and how to optimise the student learning experience. Moreover, it will identify the needs of entrepreneurship educators in the IoT sector.

This research is timely given the Irish government’s call for the development of a ‘Smart Economy’ through the promotion of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. The research results will show whether the Irish government’s confidence in the IoT sector as a driver of regional enterprise development is vindicated.

For more information contact: Ms Mary Fenton Email: mfenton@wit.ie

HUMANITIES

4.08

m

Janice Fitzpatrick Simmons

from the of poetry at Britain. gland and ogies such bird’s Nest, rican Poets Frost Place House in d relocated 005. The titution in

Entrepreneurship Education in Institutes of Technology

Saint Michael In Peril of The Sea

by Janice Fitzpatrick Simmons

Saint Michael In Peril of The Sea

continues Moving on s she now ediscovery ocation of age and of e estuaries agelessness eves a rare more Irish and music.

EDUCATION

In this, her fifth collection, Janice Fitzpatrick Simmons continues to record the journey of a rich and passionate life.

Saint Michael In Peril of The Sea JANICE FITZPATRICK SIMMONS

Moving on from the earlier poems of migration, love and loss, she now concerns herself with survival, rebirth, and the tentative rediscovery of love in all its doubts and certainties. Rich in its evocation of different land- and sea-scapes, this poetry of pilgrimage and of physicality celebrates the Atlantic coasts of Donegal, the estuaries of the SouthEast, the slow canals of the midlands, and the agelessness of tradition in Brittany. The book blends an American desire to achieve form with an Irish exploration of the liberating potential of imagination and music.

salmonpoetry

For more information contact: Ms Janice Fitzpatrick Simmons Email: jsimmons@wit.ie salmonpoetry

oetry.com

6 0 p p

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

21

HUMANITIES

WIT RESEARCHER EXPLORES THE ROLE OF POPULAR CULTURE IN AMERICAN THEATRE

Hollywood has nearly always been portrayed as having a destructive effect on modern American theatre

22

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

It is well known that virtually every significant American dramatist in the decades after the end of the First World War worked for a period in one of the major film studios in Hollywood.

In general, these periods spent with the studios were considered to have an entirely negative impact on the writing lives of those involved. Hollywood has nearly always been portrayed as having a destructive effect on modern American theatre, as drawing the most talented artists from the stage, corrupting them with financial rewards, and, in some cases, returning them to Broadway artistically spent and hopelessly frustrated.

Clifford Odets’ case is most often quoted; his career, that began so promisingly for many with Waiting for Lefty (1935), a radical, left-wing play that had audiences storming from the theatre chanting ‘’Strike! Strike!’’, culminated in him writing a film for Elvis Presley (Wild in the Country) and working in television on ‘The Richard Boone Show’.

Dr Hayes’s research challenges this orthodox view, referred to in some literature as ‘the Hollywood-as-destroyer legend’ or what theatre critic George Jean Nathan referred to in 1937 as ‘Hollywood harlotry’. He has examined the work of four major American playwrights (Odets, Eugene O’Neill, Lillian Hellman and Tennessee Williams) and argues that playwrights learned more from Hollywood than has previously been acknowledged, or indeed admitted.

Modern American dramatists have done little to counter the orthodox perception, representing Hollywood, and the world of film in general, as anathema to the ‘worthiness’ of theatre.

A case can be made in particular for the significant lessons learned from Hollywood

by Tennessee Williams, arguably the most successful post-World War Two American playwright. Williams was recruited by MGM in the early 1940s and worked in Hollywood for about six months. The current phase in

HUMANITIES

Photograph © Dan Breckwoldt

in the theatre of the time; projected titles, like the titles one associates with silent movies; lighting effects that resemble fades and dissolves; and off-stage music not dissimilar to film soundtracks. The evidence is that Williams learned much, in terms of technique, from his time in Hollywood.

Dr Hayes’s research involves reconstructing Williams’s activities during that period, as described in his letters, journals, and in the manuscripts he left behind. This literary-archaeological project has as its goal the development of a clearer picture of Williams’s artistic consciousness at a crucial point in his writing life.

During his time in Hollywood, Williams worked on what he called a ‘celluloid brassiere’ for actress Lana Turner, a film that became Marriage is a Private Affair starring Turner and James Craig. He also was involved in discussions on a play about the life of Billy the Kid. Yet he also developed what became one of his most celebrated plays during this period. The Glass Menagerie (1945), his first major Broadway success, started life as a screenplay, ‘The Gentleman Caller’, and aspects of this beginning remain in the finished work: short scenes, reminiscent of film scenes rather than the more typical and longer ‘acts’ that would have been common

He was also one of a number of dramatists who learned about commercialising his art from the studios. Hollywood had long mastered the art of creating formulae likely to attract audiences, and playwrights -— Williams amongst them - were certainly interested in learning from these formulae, while at the same time distancing themselves from ’the mainstream’. Williams collaborated with others in legitimising—even in creating, some might say—the ‘Art House’ cinema in America. This cinema was deliberately not Hollywood but still worked within the (commercial) imperatives of the industry.

In films like A Streetcar Named Desire (based on Williams’s play) and Baby Doll (from a Williams screenplay), both directed

by Williams’s long-term collaborator, Elia Kazan, a form of entertainment was created that was both commercially lucrative and critically celebrated. Such films were imbued with a hitherto-unseen sexual intensity that (deliberately and inevitably) attracted controversy —and audiences. These ‘adult’ films looked forward to the more liberal mainstream films of the 1960s; yet, they were massively successful at the box-office because of their ability to appear ‘high brow’ within a medium configured as ’popular’.

In this context, Williams is an important figure because he forms part of a continuum of artists through the 1960s that recognised the value (aesthetically and financially) of popular culture. Specifically, they saw serious artistic worth in exploring the landscape, and adapting the mechanics, of popular art. Through an analysis of the work of Williams in Hollywood, Dr Hayes’s research thus offers a new perspective on the relationship between Hollywood and the theatre, commerce and art, and popular and high culture. In addition to this, it offers a new way of exploring the work of the American playwright.

Dr Hayes’s research offers a new perspective on the relationship between Hollywood and the theatre, commerce and art, and popular and high culture

For more information contact: Dr Richard Hayes Email: rhayes@wit.ie

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

23

HUMANITIES

WIT EXAMINES LIFE AFTER PRISON FOR EX-OFFENDERS

A research report on prisoners’ reintegration after prison has been completed at Waterford Institute of Technology by Mr Fergus Hogan, Academic Director of the Centre for Social & Family Research, and Mr Jonathan Culleton, Lecturer in Sociology and Criminal Justice.

The study explored the wider issues associated with prisoners and exprisoners’ efforts to become employable

The report comprised of in-depth interviews with 44 male prisoners as well as a quantitative survey of all 200 participants detained at Castlerea and Cork prisons between June 2006 and December 2007. The EU-funded research was commissioned by You’re Equal Ltd, a partnership of community and voluntary groups, local development organisations and statutory agencies with the shared objective of removing barriers to employment for ex-prisoners.

Rather than simply measuring the success of the You’re Equal project based on the number who secured employment on release from custody, the study explored the wider issues associated with prisoners and ex-prisoners’ efforts to become employable. Central to the findings of this research was the fact that release from custody, especially after a lengthy sentence or a series of shorter periods of detention, can itself be a traumatic event for offenders. While the public appetite for providing support during this difficult transition from prison to home may be lacking, it is imperative for our society that ex-prisoners do not return to offending behaviour. Measures to aid the integration of former prisoners are likely to garner even less public sympathy in the current economic climate but doing so will be both socially and economically beneficial in the long term.

The employment and training of mentors is a major aspect of the You’re Equal project and this mentor system was evaluated in the report. The initial phase of mentoring occurs in prison as part of pre-release preparation, during which the mentor helps the offender to reflect on their patterns of behaviour. The mentor then supports the individual in identifying how these destructive patterns of behaviour can be broken. The mentors work with many offenders who have been in custody for long periods, or for a series of short sentences that accumulate. As a result, the world outside and prisoners’ family lives change dramatically during the course

24

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

AWARDS of their incarceration. Upon release, offenders often feel ‘lost’, leaving them susceptible to reoffending and rejoining harmful peer groups. In a rapidly changing Ireland, the challenges of re-entering society for exprisoners are more complex than ever.

The mentoring process enables offenders to reflect critically on both their personal responsibilities and patterns of behaviour, and to become aware of the supports they will need upon release. Mentors offer practical help on finding housing, accessing welfare and healthcare systems, finding and keeping employment and rebuilding personal relationships.

One of the most significant findings was the invaluable role that trained mentors played in preparing prisoners for their new lives.

In a rapidly changing Ireland, the challenges of re-entering society for exprisoners are more complex than ever

However, both prisoners and mentors noted that a ‘bridge’ is required between the pre-release mentoring that offenders receive while still in custody and the supports available to them once they return to the community.

This research suggests that mentoring has a positive effect on these men, and on the recidivism statistics.

The large increases in prison numbers in Ireland from February to June 2009, and the subsequent overcrowding in prisons, further illustrates the costs of imprisonment to the taxpayer, and the importance of reducing recidivism in Irish society. This research suggests that mentoring offers a viable and cost effective means of doing so.

For more information contact: Mr Fergus Hogan Email: fhogan@wit.ie or Mr Jonathan Culleton Email: jculleton@wit.ie

WIT Research Funding Awards The challenging economic environment nationally and internationally has led to an inevitable tightening of expenditure by both business and government on R & D. In spite of this challenge WIT researchers have continued to demonstrate success in winning research funding. During the period September 2008 to August 2009, WIT secured €15.27m in research income for more than 175 projects.

Outlined below are brief details on some of these projects: • The SEAFEED biodiscovery programme will mine seaweed for antimicrobial, anti-infective and prebiotic activity and validate safety and efficacy of the most promising extracts/ bio-molecules in pig-feeding trials.

This project valued at €399,885 is being led by researchers in the Eco-Innovation Research Centre at WIT and conducted in conjunction with the Pig Production Development Unit at Teagasc Moorepark.

• In November 2008, the Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre (PMBRC) announced a collaborative research project with Genzyme Ireland Ltd. The project valued in excess of €400,000 is funded by the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Partnership scheme.

• Two WIT postgraduate students received Government of Ireland Scholarships from the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences. Elaine Aylward, School of Business, will conduct research in the area of ‘Collaborative Rural Networks: An examination of the Roles and Relationships between Regional Stakeholders’. Whilst Roisin O’ Shea, School of Humanities will undertake a holistic examination of the Family Law system in Ireland, focusing on judicial separation and divorce in the Circuit Court.

• A postgraduate student in the Department of Engineering Technology, Rentao Wang, secured an Embark Postgraduate scholarship from the Irish Research Council for Science Engineering and Technology, the first international student at WIT to achieve such an award. Under the supervision of Mr Ken Deevy, Rentao will investigate the feasibility of developing reconfigurable adaptive wireless sensors for deployment in low power high utility wireless sensor networks.

• WIT’s TSSG secured €1.7 million in the Summer 2009 Commercialisation Programme managed by Enterprise Ireland.

Funding for 3 Proof of Concept projects and 3 large scale Technology Development programmes was approved broadly in the areas of telecommunications, network management and mobile services.

For more information contact: The Research Support Unit, WIT Email: research@wit.ie

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

25

AWARDS

Dr Peter Jordan wins 2009 Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision Dr Peter Jordan, Department of Creative & Performing Arts, is one of the recipients of the 2009 WIT Awards for Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision. With his specialist interest in practice-based research, Dr Jordan has not only established a culture of postgraduate research at MA level at WIT, but has almost single-handedly made PhD level research in the visual arts possible at Waterford Institute of Technology. Having supervised a number of MA students, he has recently brought the first PhD in Art Practice at WIT to graduation.

Dr Jordan’s research supervision concentrates on developing students’ independence as researchers and furthering their professional development.

An important part of his supervisory approach is to actively encourage students to publish the findings of their research and to participate at conferences, but he also allows

time for openended discussion of the research topic. This allows his postgraduate students to perceive themselves as equals and colleagues, with the supervisor acting as a mentor rather than a critic. Dr Jordan’s contribution to the student’s progress therefore far exceeds the completion of the dissertation, but extends to introducing the student to their future professional and academic environment.

As one of his students notes, ‘’Dr Peter Jordan’s achievement as an outstanding supervisor in the area of visual arts is characterised by a sustained and longterm commitment to research in this relatively new academic field. It is Dr Jordan’s openness to debate in all aspects of teaching, supervision and research, and his generosity towards students and colleagues that make him a worthy recipient of the Excellence Award for Research Supervision.’’

Dr Helen Hughes wins 2009 Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision

Prof Kieran Byrne, President of WIT presents the 2009 Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision to Dr Helen Hughes, pictured here with her husband Dr Peter McLoughlin and her family.

Dr Helen Hughes is one of the recipients of the 2009 WIT Awards for Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision. Dr Hughes received the award for her dedication to student learning, the guidance she provides students as they navigate their way through the postgraduate research experience and her commitment to improving the research environment of WIT. A citation for Dr Hughes was given by one of her students: ‘‘As is generally the case in research, not all objectives go according to plan, however, no matter what obstacles I’ve faced, Helen was always available for support and encouragement, helping me identify creative alternative approaches. Her constructive feedback throughout the course of the research has been very valuable, resulting in the publication of my findings in an

26

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

Dr Venie Martin, Head of Development, Dr Peter Jordan, Senior Lecturer in the Dept of Creative And Performing Arts, Dr Anne Jordan, Senior Lecturer in the Dept of Adult And Continuing Education, Dr Cordula Hansen, Dept of Applied Arts and Prof Kieran Byrne, President of WIT

For more information contact: Dr Peter Jordan Email: pjordan@wit.ie

international peer reviewed scientific journal as well as presenting the results at many conferences, both nationally and internationally’’. An important part of Helen’s work is the collaboration with industry and other academic institutions, which undoubtedly has a positive impact not only on students (both undergraduate and postgraduate) but also on WIT. Dr Hughes, Department of Chemical and Life Sciences, is one of the founding members of the Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre, a new state of the art research centre that in 2008 received funding of more than €5.2 million from Enterprise Ireland, EPA, HEA, IOTI, Teagasc and Royal College of Surgeons.

For more information contact: Dr Helen Hughes Email: hhughes@wit.ie

CONFERENCES

Postcolonial Studies Association (PSA) conference attracts top delegates to WIT The inaugural conference of the Postcolonial Studies Association (PSA), titled: ‘’Re-Imagining Identity: New Directions in Postcolonial Studies’’ was organised by Revd Dr Christine O’Dowd-Smyth and ably assisted by conference manager Ms Joanne Malone, and members of the PSA Conference Committee Dr Gerri Kimber and Ms Asia Zgadzaj. The conference was hosted by the Department of Languages, Tourism & Hospitality, at the School of Humanities, WIT, from 6th-8th May 2009.

This three day interdisciplinary conference was attended by over 150 delegates from all over the world, including the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, UK, India, South Africa, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Croatia, Ukraine, Poland, Russia, Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Turkey, and Ireland. The papers presented dealt with the political, the historical, the social, the cultural, and the theological, but mostly the literary re-imaginings of identity for a new millennium.

The huge turnout was a reflection of the growing interest internationally of postcolonial studies as well as the quality of the conference’s three keynote speakers. Prof Bill Ashcroft, twenty years on from his seminal work, The Empire Writes Back, not only pointed to a utopian perspective in focussing on the future of Post Colonial Studies, but also launched his new book, Caliban’s Voice, published by Routledge, at a reception hosted in the magnificent foyer of the Languages, Tourism & Leisure Building.

If Ashcroft represented the ‘roots’ of Postcolonial Studies, Neil Lazarus is very much the voice of the future ‘routes’ of the discipline. Interestingly, he too emphasised the importance of future-based thinking and comparative methodologies. Perhaps the most popular of the three speakers with both the international and local audience was Prof Declan Kiberd, who enchanted, entranced, entertained and educated delegates with his evocation of Edward Said, James Joyce and the everyday. Prof Kiberd commended the Institute for hosting such an important and groundbreaking event in Ireland, and in Waterford in particular.

Under the excellent management of Ms Joanne Malone, with the advice and support of Head of Department Ray Cullen, the assistance and cooperation of Campus Services, Frank Heraughty and David Kinsella in Educational Services, Maria Aylward, Robert Hyde, Anne Marie Lally, Mary Keating, Richard Butler, Olivia Freyne, the lecturers and students in Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, the conference ran very smoothly and the excellence of the catering was universally appreciated and commented on.

The huge turnout was a reflection of the growing interest internationally of postcolonial studies Mc Dermott the historian and lecturer in French Dr Paul Ryan, read through over 350 abstracts received by 1st December 2008. Particular thanks are due to Jonathan and Erin who worked with Dr O’Dowd-Smyth on the huge conference programme (5 parallel panels of 4 speakers in each 90 minute session over three days). Thanks also to Dr John Ennis, Dr Colette Moloney and her postgraduate students, Dr Michael Howlett and Fergus Hogan in Applied Arts and Liam Doyle for his support and advice.

Staff in Languages, such as Chris Mulhall, Helena WalshKiely, Una Cummins, Mary O’Connell, Dr Carol O’Byrne, Dr Áine Furlong and Dr Fionnuala Kennedy also contributed greatly to the organisation of the conference. Dr Willie Donnelly, Susie Cullinane and staff in the Research Support Unit provided great support, and thanks are also due to the President of the Institute, Professor Kieran Byrne, for his support and encouragement. Dr Gerri Kimber, Ms Asia Zgadzaj and Revd Dr O’Dowd-Smyth are now currently editing articles for a volume to be entitled ‘New Directions in Postcolonial Studies’.

Left to right: Dr Chris Warnes, Chair of the Postcolonial Studies Association (PSA); Dr Gerri Kimber, PSA Inaugural Conference Committee Member & PSA Treasurer; Ms Joanne Malone Conference Manager & Lecturer in Hospitality Management & Course Director of the BA in Hospitality Management, WIT; Ms Asia Zgadzaj, PSA Conference Committee; Revd Dr Christine O’DowdSmyth PSA Inaugural Conference Organiser & Lecturer in French & Francophone Studies WIT

For more information contact: Revd Dr Christine O’Dowd-Smyth Email: codowdsmyth@wit.ie or psa@postcolonialstudiesassociation.co.uk

The WIT Selection Committee also performed an invaluable role. Erin Mc Namara-Cullen, Coordinator of Hispanic Studies, Jonathan Culleton in Sociology, Alice ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

27

CONFERENCES

TSSG hosts Irish IPv6 Summit in Dublin Castle The TSSG organised the first Irish IPv6 Summit in January 2009. The event was chaired

by Mr Mícheál Ó Foghlú, Executive Director Research TSSG, and opened by Minister of Communications Mr Eamonn Ryan. The Summit was streamed live over the Internet, and videos and slides of all the talks are available on-line (see web address below).

Our existing Internet infrastructure is based on the IPv4 standard, and will start to run out of addresses in mid-2011. This will have a severe impact on new Internet users. From 2012 onwards, it is likely to become either very expensive or not possible for new companies to go on-line, as doing so requires the availability of a publicly routable IP address. The whole ethos of the Internet is based on growth driven by: the accessibility from new devices

From 2012 onwards, it is likely to become either very expensive or not possible for new companies to go on-line

such as mobile phones; the growth of sensor Minister of Communications Mr Eamonn Ryan, with networks; and the increase in new user Mícheál Ó Foghlú, Executive Director Research TSSG, WIT at communities, which is now most pressingly the opening of the Irish IPv6 Summit 2009 in Dublin Castle seen in the large populations of China and India. The lack of address space will limit that growth, so it is time to address this problem now before the address space is depleted. The solution has been around since the mid 1990s: IPv6 is a re-engineered version of the existing Internet protocol. The analogy is that the move from IPv4 to IPv6 is like adding extra digits to a telephone number, to allow more phones to be used. IPv4 has 4,294,967,296 (232) addresses; IPv6 has 2128, easily allowing many millions of devices per person alive in the world (world population about 6x109).

The TSSG has been involved in IPv6 since the late 1990s, mainly through EU-funded research programmes that explored the opportunities offered by the new protocol for security, mobility and managing quality of service. In 2004, the TSSG, with HEAnet and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) co-founded the Irish IPv6 Task Force. In 2005 the Irish National IPv6 Centre was established, based on a partnership between the TSSG, the Hamilton Institute (NUI Maynooth), HEAnet and BT Ireland.

Through the Irish National IPv6 Centre and the Irish IPv6 Task Force, the TSSG is ensuring that Ireland takes a world leadership role in the challenges facing the future of the Internet.

For more information contact: Mr Mícheál Ó Foghlú Email: mofoghlu@tssg.org Web (watch the videos): http://www.ipv6.ie/summit2009/agenda.html

28

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

CONFERENCES

Prof Kieran Byrne, President of WIT, Ms Alice McDermott, Lecturer in History and Cultural Studies, WIT and Cllr Jack Walsh, Mayor of Waterford with the Roll of Honour

WIT Remembers Southeast’s Role in Great War The sacrifices of men and women from the southeast of Ireland who served in the 1914-1918 conflict were remembered in a solemn ceremony at the Chapel in Waterford Institute of Technology’s College Street campus on 11th November 2008 to mark the 90th anniversary of the ending of the war.

The event was hosted by Prof Kieran R. Byrne, President, WIT, and Ms Alice Mc Dermott, Lecturer in History and Cultural Studies, WIT team leader of the Memorial to the Fallen research team whose findings culminated in the museum exhibits and memorial plaque that commemorates the southeast of Ireland’s involvement in the first World War. These were presented to the city of Waterford at the close of the ceremony.

The event was attended by relatives of those honoured on the Memorial Plaque, Cllr Mary O’Halloran, Deputy Mayor of Waterford, Mr Michael Walsh, City Manager and Mr Denis Moran, Head of the School of Engineering, who was Master of Ceremonies. The ceremony featured the unveiling of the Roll of Honour, prayers, reflections, and poetry readings concerning the futility of war and the importance of remembering.

In the opening address Prof Kieran Byrne spoke about how memory confers identity, describing those who fought in World War One as part of a ‘great generation whose sacrifice we should pause to reflect upon. These people faced the most appalling conditions. We must also be mindful that war continues, it has not been conquered by civilisation. Wouldn’t it be great if war was to become a thing of the past and other ways were found to resolve differences? This would be a fitting legacy to those thousands who made the ultimate sacrifice. A pacifist approach would, perhaps, be the best tribute’.

dedicated the opening ceremony, and the remainder of the Day of Commemoration, ‘‘to the memory of the men and women from the southeast of Ireland who served in the Great War and, in a global sense, to all of those touched by the 1914-1918 conflict, regardless of the ‘sides’ to which they affiliated.’’

The Last Post sounded and two minutes silence commenced at 11:11am, precisely ninety years after the armistice (which, essentially, marked the end of World War One) came into effect at the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 1918.

Ms Alice Mc Dermott, Fr David Keating, and Revd Dr Christine O’Dowd Smythe conducted a Roll Call of the 114 Great War service men and women from the southeast of Ireland commemorated on the Roll Of Honour.

After a reading of selected war poetry by Dr John Ennis, Head of the School of Humanities, WIT, the morning’s formal proceedings came to a close with the presentation to Cllr O’Halloran of the Roll of Honour, together with the entire contents of The Memorial to the Fallen museum collection outlining the contribution of the region to the Great War effort. It is intended that these will become part of the municipal collection and go on public display at a location in the city.

Ms Alice Mc Dermott brought the Day of Commemoration to a close with an acknowledgement of the importance to the region, on the 90th anniversary of the ending of the Great War, of having collectively borne witness to the extent to which its men and women who served in the Great War were finally and fully welcomed home through their commemoration on the Roll of Honour.

The Last Post sounded and two minutes silence commenced at 11:11am, precisely ninety years after the armistice

For more information contact: Ms Alice Mc Dermott Email: amcdermott@wit.ie

In her follow-on address, Alice Mc Dermott ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

29

Photograph Š Andriy Mishchenko | Photic

CONFERENCES

American Studies conference at WIT focuses on new beginnings In June 2009, the Institute hosted the annual conference of the Irish Association for American Studies (IAAS). The Irish Association for American Studies is an association founded in the early 1970s to promote American Studies in Ireland. It operates on a thirtytwo county basis.

political movements associated with the 1960s and, specifically, with Martin Luther King.

The history of the IAAS is marked by the influence of history and literature departments. While maintaining this core and key element in the membership, the Association has always been eager to broaden this base, and to promote the interdisciplinary and integrated study of American cultures.

The IAAS is affiliated to the European Association of American Studies. The Association will host the 2010 Biennial Conference of the European Association of American Studies at University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and the Mater Dei Institute (in association with The Clinton Institute of American Studies at University College Dublin). This conference is the largest gathering of Americanists outside of the United States.

This interdisciplinary mission was visible in the Waterford conference, on the theme â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;American Beginningsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, in part inspired by the beginning of a new presidency in the United States. There were papers at the conference on American political identity, new beginnings in scientific thinking in Washington in recent months, as well as on literature, history, theology and popular culture. Papers were delivered by delegates from across the island, including delegates from WIT, TCD, UCD, UCC and the University of Ulster.

The keynote address - the Alan Graham Memorial Lecture, named for a founding member of the society - was given by Prof Brian Ward of the University of Manchester. The lecture considered President Obama in the context of the cultural and

30

The conference also saw the launch of the Irish Journal of American Studies, an online, peer-reviewed journal.

Interested readers should visit www.ijasonline.com.

For more information contact: Dr Richard Hayes Email: rhayes@wit.ie

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

Irish Management 2.0: New Managerial Priorities in a Changing Economy Editors Dr Denis Harrington, WIT and Dr James Cunningham, NUIG As our economy shifts from an over-reliance on construction over the coming years, the key challenge for all Irish companies will be to increase international competitiveness and to fundamentally change the way Irish managers do business. In order to hone managerial excellence in Ireland, Irish Management 2.0 argues that there must be greater investment in managerial development at firm level, alignment of management styles and paradigms to the knowledge economy, change in managerial mindset and conceptualisation of organisations and competitive contexts and, importantly, i n c r e a s e d collaboration between Irish managers and business school academics, both nationally and internationally.

Surviving the current economic decline requires managers to leverage existing firm capabilities and assets but also to experiment and exploit new management practices.

Managers must also reconceptualise their competitive space and their personal and company ambitions. These are the central themes of Irish Management 2.0. The text combines business case studies of Irish organisations with articles and management reflections from academics, senior managers and entrepreneurs. The introduction to the book is provided by Harvard Business Review Editor Thomas A. Stewart.

Having a strong national pool of managerial talent is a key competitive requirement if Ireland is to become an exemplar of the knowledge-based economy and this book serves as a guide for Irish managers of the present and future.

For more information contact: Dr Denis Harrington Email: dharrington@wit.ie

PUBLICATIONS

Books Felicia, P. (2009) ‘Digital Games in School: A Handbook for Teachers’, Brussels: European Schoolnet, ISBN (978-907820991-1) (http://games. eun.org/upload/gis_handbook_en.pdf) Fitzpatrick Simmons, J. (2009) ‘Saint Michael in Peril of the Sea’, Salmon Poetry, Cliffs of Moher Harrington, D. & Cunningham, J. (Eds) (2008) ‘Irish Management 2.0: New Managerial Priorities in a Changing Economy’, Blackhall Publishing, Dublin Ryan, P. (2009) (in collaboration) ‘Paul Valéry Cahiers 1894-1914, volume XI’. (Paris, Gallimard, Collection ‘‘Blanche’’). Edition intégrale, établie, présentée et annotée sous la responsabilité de Nicole Celeyrette-Pietri et Robert Pickering, pp. 423, ISBN 978-2-07-012371-1

Book Chapters Doyle, L. (2009) ‘Supply Chain Information Systems and Decision Support’, in Hunter, M.G. (Ed.) Strategic Information Systems: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Felicia, P. & Pitt, I.J. (2009) ‘Profiling Users in Educational Games’, in Connolly, T.M., Stansfield, M.H. & Boyle, E. (ed.) Games-based Learning Advancement for Multi-sensory Human Computer Interfaces: Techniques and Effective Practices, Hershey: Idea-Group Publishing, pp.

131-157 Fitzpatrick Simmons, J. (2009) ‘Poetry; Reading It, Writing It, Publishing It’, in Every Solid Thing, pp 170-173, Salmon Poetry, Cliffs of Moher Harrington, D., Lawton, T. & Cunningham, J. (2009) ‘U2: keeping the rhythm’, in James Cunningham and Brian Harney (ed.) Strategy and Strategists, Oxford, Oxford University Press Jordan, A. & Carlile, O. (2009) ‘Putting Humpty Dumpty together again: learning as integrated performance in context’, in Nygaard, C., Holtham, C. and Courtney, N. (eds), Improving Students’ Learning Outcomes, Copenhagen, Copenhagen Business School Press, Chpt8 O’Connor, J. (2009) ‘Repositioning Irish-America: Neil Jordan’s AmericanIrish and the Value of the Interstice’, in Screening Irish-America: Representing Irish-America in Film and Television, Barton, R. (ed.), Dublin: Irish Academic Press, pp. 356-369 O’Connor, J. (2009) ‘The Body in Pedro Almodovar’s Work: A Site of Rhizomatic Symbolic Violence’, in Essays in Irish Literary Criticism: Themes of Gender, Sexuality and Corporeality, Quinn, D & Tighe-Mooney, S (eds.), New York: The Edwin Mellen Press, pp. 211-227 O’Riordan, C. & Kelliher, F. (2008) ‘ESB International - a bright future’, In: J.A. Cunningham & D.G. Harrington (Eds), Irish Management 2.0: New Managerial Priorities in a Changing Economy, Ireland: Blackhall Publishing

Book Reviews Ryan, P. (2009) ‘Les Cahiers 1894-1914’, de Paul Valéry en édition intégrale, Historique, enjeux, avenir, Actes de la Journée internationale d’études (Clermont-Ferrand, 2003) for French Studies, Vol. LXI, Number 3, (Oxford University Press) Ryan, P. (2009) ‘Paul Valéry - du théâtre, la scène, le symbole’ (Paris Lettres Modernes Minard, 2003) for French Studies, Vol. LIX, Number 3, July 2005 (Oxford University Press), pp. 419-20

O’Raifeartaigh, C. (2009) ‘The story of the quantum’, Physics World Vol 22 (55) p 44, review of ‘Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality’ by Manjit Kumar, (ICON Books 2008)

Journal Publications Barry, P. (2009) ‘A Note on a One-Parameter Family of Catalan-Like Numbers’, Journal of Integer Sequences, 12 Article 09.5.4, (Published electronically) Barry, P. & Hennessy, A. (2009) ‘Notes on a family of Riordan arrays and associated integer Hankel transforms’, Journal of Integer Sequences, 12, Article 09.5.3, (Published electronically) Bauman, A., Murphy, N. & Lane, A. (2009) ‘The role of community programmes and mass events in promoting physical activity to patients’, British Journal of Sports Medicine; 43; 44-46 Bergin, M., Wells, J.S.G. & Owen, S. (2008) ‘Critical Realism: a philosophical framework for the study of gender and mental health’, Nursing Philosophy, 9, 169-179 Cregg, P.J., Murphy, K. & Mardinoglu, A. (2008) ‘Calculation of nanoparticle capture efficiency in magnetic drug targeting’, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, vol. 320 pp. 3272 Cregg, P.J., Murphy, K. & Mardinoglu, A. (2009) ‘Inclusion of magnetic dipoledipole and hydrodynamic interactions in implant assisted magnetic drug targeting’, March, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials vol. 321 pp.

3893 Crowley, M.T., Andreev, A.D., Piwonski, T., Houlihan, J., O’Reilly, E.P. & Huyet, G. (2009) ‘Interconnection between ground state and excited state gain in InAs/ GaAs quantum dot semiconductor optical amplifiers’, Physica Status Solidi (b), 246 (4), 868 Denieffe, S. & Gooney, M. (2008) ‘Cancer Related Fatigue: Health Professionals and Patients’, Views Psycho-oncology 17(6), S19 Erneux, T., Viktorov, E.A., Mandel, P., Piwonski, T., Huyet, G. & Houlihan, J. (2009) ‘The fast recovery dynamics of a quantum dot semiconductor optical amplifier’, Appl. Phys. Lett., 94, 113501 Gardiner, G.E., O’ Flaherty, S., Casey, P.G., Weber, A., McDonald, T.L., Cronin, M., Hill, C., Ross, R.P., Gahan, C. & Shanahan, F. (2009) ‘Evaluation of colostrumderived human mammary-associated serum amyloid A3 (M-SAA3) protein and peptide derivatives for the prevention of enteric infection: in vitro and in murine models of intestinal disease’, FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology 55, 404-413 Hayes, R. (2009) ‘ ‘‘These Three’’: the Influence of William Wyler and Gregg Toland on Lillian Hellman’, Literature-Film Quarterly, Vol. 37, Issue 3, pp.

176-183 Healy, N., Murphy, D.F., Clohessy, A.M. & Hussey, C.D. (2009) ‘High extinction ratio low loss tightly bent PANDA fibre’, Electron. Lett., Vol. 45, Issue 8, pp.397-398 Kelliher, F., Foley, A. & Frampton, A.M. (2009) ‘Facilitating small firm learning networks in the Irish Tourism Sector’, Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 9(1): 80-95 Kelliher, F. & O’Riordan, C. (2008) ‘The national roads authority - connecting a nation’, Winner of the Public Sector Innovations category, European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Case Writing Competition 2008 - European Case Clearing House Kirby, M. L., Galea, M., Loane, E., Stack, J., Beatty, S., & Nolan, J. M. (2009) ‘Foveal Anatomic Associations with the Secondary Peak and the Slope of the Macular Pigment Spatial Profile’, Invest Ophthalmol.Vis.Sci., Volume 50, Number 3 ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

31

PUBLICATIONS Murphy, A. & Garavan, T. (2009) ‘The Adoption and Diffusion of an NHRD Standard: A Conceptual Framework’, Human Resource Development Review, Vol. 8, No.1, pp.3-21 Neelam, K., Nolan, J., Chakravarthy, U., Beatty, S. (2009) ‘Psychophysical Function in Age-related Maculopathy’, Surv. Ophthalmol, March-April

Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘An exploratory study of substance use among Irish Youth- A Service Providers perspective?’ Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, Volume 8, Issue 1, 99-111

Neelam, K., Muldrew, A., Hogg, R., Stack, J., Chakravarthy, U., Beatty, S. (2009) ‘Grading of Age-related Maculopathy: Slit-lamp Biomicroscopy Versus an Accredited Grading Centre’, Retina, February

Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘An Illustrative Picture of Irish Youth Substance Use. Letter to the Editor’, Journal of Drug and Alcohol Education, Volume 53, Number 1, April, 7-14

Neelam, K., Hogg, R.E., Stevenson, M.R., Johnston, E., Anderson, R., Beatty, S., Cakravarthy, U. (2008) ‘Carotenoids and Co-Antioxidants in AgeRelated Maculopathy: Design and Methods’, Ophthalmic Epidemiology, Nov-Dec

Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘Irish Travellers and Drug Use - An Exploratory Study’, Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care, Volume 2, Issue 1, 42-49

Nolan, J.M., O’ Reilly, P., Loughman, J., Stack, J., Loane, E., Connolly, E.E., Beatty, S. (2009) ‘Augmentation of macular pigment following implantation of blue light filtering intraocular lenses at the time of cataract surgery’, Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. Jul 23 O’Connell, B. (2009) ‘Examining the Fiddle Styles of Western Newfoundland’, in Nuttall, D. (ed.) Across the Water: Irish Journal of Newfoundland and Labrador Research, Waterford: The Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies, pp. 91-114 O’Donohoe, S., Hanley, A. & Lyons, C. (2009) ‘Relationship Banking Within the Irish SME Sector and Its Implications’, The Irish Accounting Review, Vol 15(2) pp 59-85 O’ Shea, E.F., Gardiner, G.E., O’Connor, P.M., Mills, S., Hill, C. & Ross, R.P. (2009) ‘Characterization of enterocin- and salivaricin-producing lactic acid bacteria from the mammalian gastrointestinal tract’, FEMS Microbiology Letters 291, 24-34 Piwonski, T., Pulka, J., Madden, G., Huyet, G. & Houlihan, J., Viktorov, E.A., Erneux, T. & Mandel, P. (2009) ‘Intradot dynamics of InAs quantum dot based electroabsorbers’, Appl. Phys. Lett., 94, 123504 Rabenschlag, F., Wells, J.S.G., Heffernan, D., Walls, N., Jones, A. & Needham, I. (2008) ‘Employing workers with mental health problems: the employers’ perspective (Anstellung von Arbeitnehmenden mit psychischen Gesundheitsprob-lemen: Die Sicht der Arbeitgebenden)’ Zeitschrift f r Pflegewissenschaft und psychische Gesundheit 2(1):2-11 Richardson, N. & Carroll, P. (2009) ‘Getting Men’s Health onto a Policy Agenda -Charting the Development of a National Men’s Health Policy in Ireland’, Journal of Men’s Health, 6(2): 105-13 Roche, C. & Kelliher, F. (2009) ‘Exploring the patient consent process in Community Pharmacy practice’, Journal of Business Ethics, 86 (1): 91-99 Ryan, P. (2009) ‘Valéry’s Pocket Notebooks: Redefining a Corpus", Nottingham French Studies, Vol 48. 1 Spring, pp. 31-48.

Ryan, P. (2007) ‘Valéry: poetics and phenomenology’, Modern Language Review, (Journal for the Modern Humanities Research Association, King’s College London), Vol. 102, No. 3, pp. 688-702.

Ryan, P. (2008) ‘Paul Valéry: perception and an aesthetics of visual space’, Australian Journal of French Studies, Vol. XLV, Number 1, pp. 43-58.

Song, L.Y., Yuan, H. J., Coffey, L. et al. (2008) ‘Efficient expression in E. coli of an enantioselective nitrile hydratase from Rhodococcus erythropolis’, Biotechnology Letters, 30: 755-762 Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘Perception of social context and activity following participation in a physical fitness intervention during residential adolescent addiction treatment’, American Journal of Recreation Therapy, Fall, Volume 7, Number 4, 27-45

32

Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘Drug and alcohol use among rural Irish adolescentsa Brief Exploratory Study, Drug and Alcohol Today, Volume 9, Issue 1, 20-26

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

Van Hout, MC (2009) ’Youth Alcohol and Drug Use in rural Ireland- a Parents View’, The International Electronic Journal of Rural and Remote Health Research, Education, Practice and Policy, http://www.rrh.org.au/ articles/showarticlenew.asp?ArticleID=1171 Viktorov, E.A., Erneux, T., Mandel, P., Piwonski, T., Pulka, J., Madden, G., Huyet, G. & Houlihan, J. (2009) ‘Recovery time scales in a reversedbiased quantum dot absorber’, Appl. Phys. Lett., 94, 263502 Wells, J.S.G., Bergin, M., Gooney, M. & Jones, A. (2009) ‘Views on Nurse Prescribing -A Report of a Survey of Community Mental Health Nurses in the Republic of Ireland’, Journal of Psychiatric and Mental health Nursing, 16: 10-17

Conference Proceedings Dalton, R., Lally, A. & Lynch, P. (2009) ‘Towards a Model of New Service Development for Differentiated Tourism Services’, In: Proceedings of the 5th Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference (THRIC), Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), June 16th - 17th Davies, G., Whelan, S. & Kamins, M.A. (2009) ‘Complementary Relationships between Brand and Human Personality’, International Corporate Identity/ Associations Research Group Conference, Stonybrook University, Long Island, New York, May Drohan, R., Foley, A. & Lynch, P. (2009) ‘Utilising the Resource-Based View (RBV) to Enhance CRM Practices in Irish Hotels’, In: Proceedings of the 5th Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference (THRIC), Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), June 16th - 17th Cunningham, J., Wells, J.S.G. & Heffernan, D. (2009) ‘Employers’ views on disability policy and the employment of people with mental health problems in the South East of Ireland’, 17th International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals & Health Services 6th -8th May- Hospitals without Walls: New services, new partnerships, new challenges for Health Promotion, Crete, Greece, May Farrell, H. (2008) ‘The Composition of a Composer: A Survey’, Teaching the Unteachable? The Role of Composition in Music Education, Patricia Flynn ed., Conference Proceedings for Waterford New Music Week 2005 (WIT: Orpheus Publications, 2008), 67-74 Galavan, R., Harrington, D. & Kelliher, F. (2009) ‘Why, What and How of Rigour and Relevance in Management Research’, Irish Academy of Management, September Gannon, C., Lynch, P. & Harrington, D. (2009) ‘Managing Intellectual Capital for Sustained Competitive Advantage in the Irish Tourism Industry’, In: Proceedings of the 5th Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference (THRIC), Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), June 16th - 17th Gannon, C., Lynch, P. & Harrington, D. (2009) ‘Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management Capability: The Ingredients for Competitiveness’,

PUBLICATIONS In: Proceedings of the 12th Annual Conference of the Irish Academy of Management, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), September 2nd - 4th

Birney, R., & Ó’hÉigeartaigh, M. (2008) ‘Reflective Practice and Blogs: Developing a new model for assessment’, Brief Paper presented at ALT-C 2008, Leeds, UK

Hegarty, N. & Carbery, A. (2009) ‘Learning by Doing: Re-designing the First Year Information Literacy Programme at WIT Libraries’, LNSS Information Literacy Implementation Seminar and Workshops. Limerick Institute of Technology, 16th July

Buckley, A. (2009) ‘A Silent Record: The Transcriptions of John Edward Pigot (1822-1871)’, International Council for Traditional Music (Ireland) Annual Conference, UCD, Dublin, 27-28 February

McCarthy, K. (2009) ‘Applied and Community Drama in the Social Studies Classroom’, The First Learning and Teaching Conference in Applied Social Studies 2009, Trinity College 13th May, TCD, Dublin O’Donohoe, S. & Gregory, A. (2009) ‘The Wealth Effects from UK Acquistions for Domestic and International Acquirers: some recent evidence’, 20th Annual Conference of the Irish Accounting and Finance Association, Dublin, 8th May O’Donohoe, S. & Gregory, A. (2009) ‘Returns to Domestic and International Acquirers from UK Acquisitions- Evidence from recent merger waves’, INFINITI Conference on International Finance, Dublin, 9th June Power, J., Whelan, S. & Brown, T.J. (2009) ‘The Effect of Corporate Brand Customer Orientation Associations and Perceived Job Fit on Company Attractiveness for Customer Oriented Workers’, International Corporate Identity/Associations Research Group Conference, Stonybrook University, Long Island, New York, May Walsh, M., Lynch, P. & Harrington, D. (2009) ‘A Proposed Model of FirmLevel Innovativeness: The Small Tourism Firm’, In: Proceedings of the 5th Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference (THRIC), Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), June 16th - 17th Walsh, M., Lynch, P. & Harrington, D. (2009) ‘Towards a Conceptualisation of the Innovativeness Construct’, In: Proceedings of the 12th Annual Irish Academy of Management Conference, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), September 2nd - 4th Wells, J.S.G., Cunningham, J. & Heffernan, D. (2008) ‘Employers’ views on disability policy and mental health problems in the workplace’, In: Proceedings of the 9th Annual Interdisciplinary Conference 5th, 6th & 7th November- Transforming Healthcare through Research, Education & Technology, Trinity College, University of Dublin

Conferences & Symposia Bergin, M., Wells, J.S.G. & Owen, S. (2009) ‘Gender Issues and Mental Health Care Provision in Ireland’ Annual Conference of the Sociological Association of Ireland, May 8th-9th, Waterford Institute of Technology Bergin, M. Wells J.S.G. & Owen, S. (2008) ‘Gender Issues and Mental Health Care Provision: A Service User’s Perspective’, 9th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference, Transforming Healthcare through Research, Education and Technology, 5th -7th November, Trinity College Dublin Bergin, M. Wells, J.S.G. & Owen, S. (2008) ‘Beyond a Positivist and Constructivist Understanding for Gender and Mental Health -the potential for Critical Realism’, 9th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference, Transforming Healthcare through Research, Education and Technology, 5th -7th November Trinity College Dublin Bergin M. (2008) ‘Marrying metatheory and methodology - the research journey’, Faculty of Health, Life and Social Sciences Postgraduate Showcase, 4th July, University of Lincoln, UK Birney, R., Ó’hÉigeartaigh, M. & Barry, M. (2008) ‘Blogs: Supporting Staff Development’, Poster & Selected Presentation at the NAIRTL Symposium on Bologna and Staff Development, Dublin, Ireland

Buckley, A. (2009) ‘The Transcriptions of John Edward Pigot: A Dublinbased Lover of the Music, Language and Literature of Ireland’, SMI-RMA Joint Conference, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin, 9-12 July Clarke, L. (2009) ‘Songs of the South East: A Classification and Study of the Ballad Repertory in the South East of Ireland’, International Council for Traditional Music (Ireland) Annual Conference, UCD, Dublin, 27-28 February Cunningham, J. & Wells, J.S.G. (2009) ‘Employers and Mental Health Policy in the workplace’, 17th International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals, Crete, Greece Cunningham, J., Wells, J.S.G. & Heffernan, D. (2008) ‘An analysis of employers’ views on disability policy and the employment of people with enduring mental health problems’, 1st Annual Practice Research Conference 17th January Building the Bridge Transforming Education to Meet Clinical Practice Needs, Waterford Institute of Technology and the NMPD HSE South Denieffe, S. (2008) ‘Cancer related fatique: a two headed coin’, 5th International Psycho-oncology Conference, 26-29 May, Madrid, Spain Denny, M. (2009) ‘Exploring Multiple Intelligence in the Context of Teaching and Learning in Undergraduate Nursing Education in Ireland’, 28th International Conference of Nursing and Midwifery, RCN, Dublin Fensom, S. & Finn, F. (2008) ‘Practice Development through Staff Development’ NEPNET Conference, Dublin Finn, F. & Murphy, L. (2008) ‘Promoting Learning Transfer in Post Graduate Nursing Education Building the Bridge’, Nursing Conference, Waterford Gleeson, A.M. & Ruane, F. (2009) ‘The Contributions of Exporting and Ownership to Labour Productivity in the Irish Manufacturing Sector’, Irish Economic Association Annual Conference, Blarney, April Gleeson, A.M. & Ruane, F. (2009) ‘How important are exporters to productivity growth? Micro Evidence from a Small Open Economy’, International Study Group on Exports and Productivity Workshop, Dublin, February Gleeson, A.M. & Ruane, F. (2008) ‘Decomposing Productivity Growth in the Domestically-owned Irish Manufacturing Sector’, IAW-ESRI Internationalisation of Production and Firm Performance Workshop, Tübingen, November Gleeson, A.M. & Ruane, F. (2008) ‘Exporting and Productivity Growth: Micro Evidence from a Small Open Economy’, 11th Annual European Trade Study Group Conference, Warsaw, September Gooney, M.A., Murphy, L., O’Donovan, O., Lane, P. & Watson, G. (2008) ‘Cancer Related Fatigue and Depression in Breast Cancer Survivors’, Oral Presentation, Sylvester O Halloran Scientific Meeting, Royal College of Surgeons, 28th February-1st March Limerick Hayes, R. (2009) ‘Clifford Odets and Movie Violence’, American Theatre and Drama Society, Third International Conference On American Theatre And Drama, Cadiz, Spain (27-29 May) Johnston, K. (2009) ‘Inside out or Outside in? Irish Button Accordion Performance since c1975’, International Council for Traditional Music (Ireland) Annual Conference, UCD, Dublin, 27-28 February

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

33

PUBLICATIONS Kelliher, F. & Byrne, S. (2008) ‘Action and Research: Challenging teaching and learning assumptions in an executive development programme’, National Academy for the Integration of Research and Teaching and Learning Annual Conference, WIT, Nov 13-15

Murphy, N.M., Lane, A., Bauman, A., Smyth, P. & Chey, T. (2009) ‘Physical activity relapse in Irish women 6 months after a mass event’, International Society for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity conference, Lisbon, June 17-20

Kent, T. & Kofman, P.D. (2009) ‘Wood Energy Supply Chains for Softwood First Thinning in Irish Forests’, Oral Presentation at 17th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition, From Research to Industry and Markets, Hamburg, Germany, 29 June - 3 July

Murphy, N.M. (2008) ‘An ABC of sport and physical activity promotionfrom Amsterdam and Bogota to Cork! What can we learn?’, PEPAYS Forum, University of Limerick and ISC, June

Lane, A., Murphy, N., Bauman, A. & Chey, T. (2009) ‘A Print Based Randomised Controlled Trial to Increase Physical Activity among Insufficiently Active Women’, International Society for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity conference, Lisbon, June 17-20 Maher, J. & Burke, R. (2009) ‘Consumer Financial Risk : Appetite, Acceptance and Avoidance?’ Irish Accounting & Finance Association Annual Conference, UCD, Dublin, Ireland McDonald, A. & Bergin, M. (2008) ‘The Views and Practices of community mental health Nurses in relation to Metabolic Syndrome’, 9th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference, Transforming Healthcare through Research, Education and Technology, 5th -7th November, Trinity College Dublin McKenna, J.F. (2009) ‘Community Mental Health Nurses in Ireland: an exposition of their lived experiences and current issues’, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, 28th Annual International Nursing & Midwifery Research, Dublin Moloney, C. (2009) ‘Edward Bunting: The Dublin Connection’, SMI-RMA Joint Conference, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin, 9-12 July Moloney, C. (2009) ‘Native versus Alien: Traditional Music in Postcolonial Ireland’, Postcolonial Studies Association Inaugural Conference, WIT, 6-8 May Moran, S. (2009) ‘Virtuous Teachers and Quality Learning’, Invited paper at international conference, (Czech Republic: Prague Metropolitan University) Moran, S. (2009) ‘Intercultural Competence’, Keynote speech at international conference, (Norway: Sørum Voksenopplæring) Moran, S. (2009) ‘Ancient Greek Conceptions of Virtue’, Classical Association of Ireland, May, Waterford Institute of Technology Morrissey, L. (2009) ‘Recording a Tradition: The Contribution of Patrick Weston Joyce (1827-1914) to Preserving the Music of South Limerick’, International Council for Traditional Music (Ireland) Annual Conference, UCD, Dublin, 27-28 February Morrissey, L. (2009) ‘A Limerick Man in Dublin: The Contribution of Patrick Weston Joyce to Irish Music’, SMI-RMA Joint Conference, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin, 9-12 July Mulhall, C. (2009) ‘From Altieri (1749) to Zanichelli (2009): Charting the Changes in Lemmatisation of Idioms through a History of Bilingual Italian-English Dictionaries’, Dictionary Society of North America XVII Biennial Meeting, Indiana University, 27-30 May Murphy, A. & Garavan, T. (2009) ‘Insomnia: A Case Study in Modern Irish Entrepreneurship’, Irish Academy of Management Conference, GalwayMayo Institute of Technology, 2nd- 4th September Murphy, A. & Garavan, T. (2009) ‘Insomnia: A Success Story in Irish Hospitality Entrepreneurship’, Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, Dublin Institute of Technology, 15th-16th June Murphy, D.F. & Flavin, D.A. (2009) ‘Non-mechanically scanned DFTS’, OSA Advances in Imaging Optics & Photonics Congress (FTS), Vancouver, Canada, April 29, FWD5

34

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

Murphy, N.M. (2008) ‘Mass events-public health and partnership opportunity?’, Northern Ireland Sports Council and Health Promotion Department. Active for Health Seminar, Cookstown, NI, May O’Byrne, C. (2009) ‘Daichead bliana ag fás: how the role of the lecturer has been (re)defined over the lifetime of the Irish technological sector’, Educational Studies Association of Ireland Annual Conference, Kilkenny, April 2nd -4th O’Byrne, C. (2009) ‘Plus ça change, plus ça devient la même chose the convergence of academic professional identities in the Institute of Technology sector and the implications for teaching and learning’, AISHE, Maynooth, August 27th - 28th O’Connell, B. (2009) ‘Having a ‘Time’: Fieldwork Recording in the Codroy Valley of Newfoundland’, International Council for Traditional Music (Ireland) Annual Conference, UCD, Dublin, 27-28 February O’Raifeartaigh, C. (2009) ‘The Rebirth of American Science’, Annual Conference of The Irish Association for American Studies, WIT, June Slattery, A. (2009) ‘Recording Music in the Nineteenth Century: The Contribution of George Noble Plunkett (1851-1948)’, International Council for Traditional Music (Ireland) Annual Conference, UCD, Dublin, 27-28 February Van Hout, M. C. (2009) ‘Travellers and Substance Use in the West of Ireland’, Oral Presentation Minister John Curran National Drug Strategy 2009-2011, National University of Galway, February 19th Van Hout, M. C. (2009) ‘Irish Travellers and Alcohol’, Oral Presentation and Discousant, Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol, Epidemiology section of the International Council on Alcohol and Addictions (ICAA), Copenhagen, Denmark, June 1-5 Wells, J.S.G., Cunningham, J. & Heffernan, D. (2008) ‘Employers’ views on disability policy and mental health problems in the workplace’, 9th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference 5th, 6th & 7th November - Transforming Healthcare through Research, Education & Technology, Trinity College University of Dublin Wells, J.S.G., Jackson, C., Bergin, M., Denny, M., Palese, A. & Zabalegui Yarnoz, A. (2009) ‘Establishing a pan-European network to understand developmental issues for nurse educators -the UDINE C Project’, Royal College of Nursing (UK), 2nd International Education Conference, Glasgow Wells, J.S.G., Denny, M., Bergin, M., Sheppard, J., Mullally, B., Sheahan, L., O’Neill, S., Murphy, T. & McDonald, T.J. (2009) ‘An Investigation into the Adoption of Technology by Primary Health Practitioners in the South East of Ireland’, World Health Organisation Health Promoting Hospitals Conference, Crete

Poster Presentations Akkali, M., Nolan, J. M., Beatty, S., O’Dwyer, V., Davidson, P. A., Scanlon, G., Major, P., Rushe, L. & Loughman, J. (2009) ‘Macular Pigment and its Contribution to Spatial Vision’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, ARVO Florida, May

PUBLICATIONS Beatty, S., Nolan, J.M., Woodside J. & Chakravarthy, U. (2009) ‘Longitudinal Relationships between Macular Pigment and Serum Lutein in Patients Enrolled in the CARMA Clinical Trial (Carotenoids & Co-antioxidants in Age Related Maculopathy)’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, ARVO Florida, May Finn, F. & Murphy, L. (2008) ‘Linking Assessment Methods with Innovative Teaching and Learning Strategies in Post Graduate Nursing Education’, Poster Presentation, HSE Nursing Conference, Waterford Kirby, M., Harrison, M., Beatty, S., Green, I., Mc Brinn, S. & Nolan, J.M. (2009) ‘Changes in Macular Pigment Optical Density and Serum Concentrations of Lutein and Zeaxanthin in Response to Weight Loss’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, ARVO Florida, May Loane, E., Nolan, J.M., & Beatty, S. (2009) ‘The Relationship between Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Serum Lipoproteins, and Macular Pigment Optical Density’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, ARVO Florida, May Losty, C. & Murphy Griffin, M. (2009) ‘Fit4duty: An Intervention to Determine the Effectiveness of E- Counselling in Increasing Exercise Self Efficacy and Decreasing Stress Levels with Irish Police Force Trainees’, The 12th ISSP World Congress of Sport Psychology, Marrakesh, Morocco - June 17- 21 Madden, C., Reid, T., Denieffe, S. & Martin, A. (2008) ‘The influence of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation training programme on challenging nursing students’ attitudes and willingness to perform life-saving interventions’, 8th Annual Nursing & Midwifery Research Conference, University College Cork, 10th October - Best Poster Award Received Madden, C., Reid, T., Denieffe, S. & Martin, A. (2008) ‘A Q Methodology Study -Exploring Attitudes to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Defibrillation’, 9th Scientific Congress, European Resuscitation Council, Belgium, 22-24 May Madden, C., Reid, T., Denieffe, S. & Martin, A. (2008) ‘Students’ Attitudes and Willingness to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillation’, 9th Scientific Congress, European Resuscitation Council, Belgium, 22-24 May Madden, C., Reid, T., Denieffe, S. & Martin, A. (2008) ‘An Investigation of Nursing Students’ Attitudes and Willingness to perform Life-Saving Interventions’, 9th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference, Trinity College Dublin, 5th - 7th November Madden, C., Reid, T., Denieffe, S. & Martin, A. (2008) ‘The influence of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation training programme on challenging nursing students’ attitudes and willingness to perform life-saving interventions’, 2nd Annual NAIRTL Conference, Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Challenging Assumptions, Waterford Institute of Technology, 13-14 November Nolan, J. M., O’Reilly, P., Loughman, J., Loane, E., Connolly, E. & Beatty, S. (2009) ‘Macular Pigment Levels Increase Following Blue Light Filtering Intraocular Lens Implantation’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, ARVO Florida, May Tiemann, D. (2009) ‘Characterisation of Organic Photovoltaic Structures using Scanning Probe Microscopy Methods’, Institute of Physics in Ireland Spring Weekend Meeting, Wexford, 3 - 5 April Tiemann, D. & O’Mahony, J. (2009) ‘Scanning Probe Microscopy Methods for the Characterisation of Organic Photovoltaic Structures’, XI International Scanning Probe Microscopy Conference, Madrid, 17 19 June Van Hout, M.C (2009) ‘Travellers and Drug Use in Ireland’, National Institute on Drug Abuse International Conference (NIDA), Nevada, USA, published as Abstract Proceedings, June, Recipient Early Career Research Grant

Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘Irish Travellers and Substance Use - A Service Providers Dilemma’, College on Drugs and Drug Dependence International Conference (CPDD), Nevada, USA, published as Abstract Proceedings, June

Other Gleeson, A.M. & Ruane, F. (2009) ‘Exporting and Ownership Contributions to Irish Manufacturing Productivity Growth’, ESRI Working Paper, No. 297, Available in electronic form at www.esri.ie Lane A., Murphy N.M. & Bauman A. (2009) ‘The impact of participation in the Flora Women’s mini-marathon on physical activity behaviour in women, Research Report 1’, Irish Sports Council, February Muldoon, A.L., Lane, A., Murphy, N.M., Power, M., Kealy, R. & O’Dwyer, J. (2009) ‘Waterford Active Schools Programme: An Evaluation’, Waterford Sports Partnership and the Centre for Health Behaviour Research, WIT, WSP O’ Raifeartaigh, C. (2009) ‘John Tyndall and the Greenhouse Effect’, An Irishman’s Diary, The Irish Times (03/08/09) O’Raifeartaigh, C. (2009) ‘The Downside of Technology’, Physics World, Vol 22(4), p56 O’Sullivan, S., Barrington, K., Maher, J., Mulcahy, N. & O’Rourke, R. (2009) ‘Perspective of the Consumer Panel on the Current Financial Regulatory Framework’, May, Financial Regulator, Dublin, Ireland. http://www.financialregulator.ie/consultative-panels/consumer/ Pages/FormalSubmissions.aspx Richardson, N. & Carroll, P. (2008) ‘National Men’s Health Policy 20082013. Working with men in Ireland to achieve optimum health and wellbeing’, Dublin: Department of Health and Children, reference document, available at www.dohc .ie Van Hout, M. C. (2009) ‘Substance Misuse in the Traveller Community Regional Needs Assessment’, Western Regional Drugs Task Force Van Hout, M. C. (2009) ‘Voices of young people in Co. Cavan on Service Provision’, Drugs and Alcohol Issues, HSE Publication, www.hrb.ie Van Hout , M.C. (2009) ‘Irelands National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016’, Position Paper Youth Substance Use in Ireland, Government Department of Community Rural and Gealtacht Affairs, Dublin, Governmental Publication Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘FRA Comparative Report 2009 Housing Situation of Travellers in the EU- European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)’, Vienna, European Roma Rights Centre Publication Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘The Traveller Family. Policy Brief 1’, Dublin, Pavee Point, National Travellers Centre Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘Traveller Women and Domestic Violence, Policy Brief 2’, Dublin, Pavee Point, National Travellers Centre Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘Housing and the Traveller Community, Policy Brief 3’, Dublin, Pavee Point, National Travellers Centre Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘The Roma Community in Ireland- A Needs Framework for hidden populations’, Dublin, Pavee Point, National Travellers Centre Van Hout, M.C. (2009) ‘Traveller Health and Primary Care FrameworksA Service Providers Perspective’, Dublin, Pavee Point, National Travellers Centre

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010

35

ISSUE 11 Spring 2010

RESEARCH|MATTERS Staff in the Office of Research and Innovation are based on the second floor of the Walton IT Building. Staff associated with ArcLabs Innovation Centre are based on the Carriganore campus. Contact details are as follows: Dr Willie Donnelly Head of Research and Innovation Office: IT.2.11 Tel: +353 - 51 - 845596 or Internally: ext. 5596 Email: wdonnelly@wit.ie Ms Kathryn Kiely Industry Services Manager Office: IT.2.08 Tel: +353 - 51 - 302034 or Internally: ext. 2034 Email: kkiely@wit.ie

Technology Transfer Unit Dr Michael Whelan Technology Transfer Manager Technology Transfer Unit Room IT.2.09 Tel: +353 - 51 - 845592 or Internally: ext. 5592 Email: mwhelan@wit.ie

Research Support Unit

ArcLabs Innovation Centre

Ms Susie Cullinane Projects Manager Research Support Unit Room IT.2.07 Tel: +353 - 51 - 306260 or Internally: ext. 6260 Email: scullinane@wit.ie

Mr Tom Corcoran ArcLabs Innovation Centre Manager Tel: +353 - 51 - 302975 or Internally: ext. 2975 Email: tcorcoran@wit.ie

Ms Eimear Fitzpatrick Staff Officer Research Support Unit Room IT.2.10 Tel: +353 - 51 - 845503 or Internally: ext. 5503 Email: efitzpatrick@wit.ie Ms Rita Dalton Personal Assistant Research Support Unit Room IT.2.10 Tel: +353 - 51 - 845596 or Internally: ext. 5596 Email: rdalton@wit.ie Ms Fiona Murray Research Systems Support Research Support Unit Room IT.2.10 Tel: +353 - 51 - 845501 or Internally: ext. 5501 Email: fmurray@wit.ie

Ms Philomena Carton Senior Administrator Technology Transfer Unit Room IT.2.10 Tel: +353 - 51 - 845591 or Internally: ext. 5591 Email: pcarton@wit.ie

Ms Mary Fearon Administrative Assistant ArcLabs Innovation Centre Tel: +353 - 51 - 302900 or Internally: ext. 2900 Email: mfearon@wit.ie

Finance Office (Research Accounting Team) Ms Susan Green Project Accountant Tel: +353 - 51 - 845586 Internally: ext. 5586 Email: sgreen@wit.ie Mr Peter Radford Project Accountant Tel: +353 - 51 - 834075 Internally: ext. 4075 Email: pradford@wit.ie Ms Sarah Harris Assistant Project Accountant Tel: +353 - 51 - 302227 Internally: ext. 2227 Email: sharris@wit.ie

Research Matters is published by the School of Research and Innovation in Waterford Institute of Technology.

Please address any comments or suggestions that you may have on this publication to: Ms Kathryn Kiely, Industry Services Manager. Email: research@wit.ie Edited by Dr Jenny Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor (School of Humanities) Design by PassionForCreative.com Tel: 051 853 847

36

ISSUE 11 | Spring 2010